TMA EVPGram

A majority of the Texans in the U.S. House of Representatives joined a majority of their colleagues from around the country in calling on House leaders to repeal Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula this year. Congress “should not pass up this chance to repeal the SGR ... and enact a permanent solution,” they said in a letter to the speaker and minority leader of the House. “Continuing to enact short-term patches is bad fiscal policy — equivalent to paying the monthly minimum on a credit card bill — and increases the cost of full repeal.” Rep. Bill Flores (R-Bryan) was one of two congressmen to take the lead on the letter. Twenty-one of the 33 other Texans, from both sides of the aisle, put their name on it as well. A delegation of Texas physicians and medical students and TMA staff enjoyed productive conversations on the issue during visits with House members and Sen. Ted Cruz after the Washington meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a Dec. 12 “open executive session” on a draft SGR repeal proposal that has support from Democrats and Republicans, and in both the House and the Senate.