The ACC’s CardioAdvocacy Network
(ACC│CAN) lets you stay up to date on critical issues
facing the cardiovascular community and provides you with
the tools you need to help shape health care policy at the
federal, state and local levels.
ACTION
ALERTS:
Medicare Bill Becomes Law
On July 15, Congress overrode President Bush’s veto of H.R. 6331, the "Medicare Patient and Providers Act of 2008." The president has long threatened to veto any legislation that included cuts to Medicare Advantage. As passed, the bill stops the 10.6 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements for 18 months, extends the 0.5 percent payment update for 2008 and provides a 1.1% update for 2009. In addition, the bill continues the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative through 2011. It also includes an accreditation requirement for advanced imaging modalities and funds a two-year voluntary appropriateness criteria demonstration project supported by the ACC.
The passage of this bill is a tremendous victory for the medical profession and for cardiovascular specialists in particular, who flooded congressional offices with their calls and e-mails. To view final vote tallies in the House, click here. To view final vote tallies in the Senate, click here. The ACC thanks its members for their roll in the bill's passage and encourages them to contact their Senators and Representatives to thank them for voting in favor of the bill. Contact your lawmakers at (800) 210-7193 or using the "Act Now" link below.
There is work left to be done — the College will work with Congress to create a sustainable payment formula that is acceptable to physicians and patients. For now, however, we can be satisfied that we have won a significant battle.
Act
Now You can also call the ACC’s toll-free
grassroots hotline at 800-210-7193.
ACC|CAN ACTION ALERT
CENTER is for the use of ACC Members only. You must
use your ACC member number and ID to log on to the secure
website. If you need assistance, email grassroots@acc.org
or call (202) 375-6470, Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
|
