Contact: Katie Glenn, kglenn@acc.org, 202-375-6472

WASHINGTON (Apr 14, 2015) -

A statement from American College of Cardiology President Kim Allan Williams Sr., M.D., FACC, regarding the Senate's successful passage of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), which permanently repeals the sustainable growth rate (SGR) and reauthorizes funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP):

"Today is an exceptional day for Medicare patients and for the medical professionals who care for them, thanks to the long-awaited permanent repeal of the flawed sustainable growth rate formula. The Senate has accomplished a major feat by passing legislation that ends a cycle of delays and patches in the law, which has created uncertainty for Medicare patients and clinicians for more than a decade," said American College of Cardiology President Kim Allan Williams Sr., M.D., FACC.

"Through the crafting and passage of MACRA, Congress has proven it can take bipartisan, bicameral action to solve seemingly insurmountable problems," Williams said. "We applaud the members in the House and Senate for coming together to implement true Medicare reform while extending funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, which offers access to health care for many children, including those with complex cardiovascular conditions."

The American College of Cardiology is a 49,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more information, visit ACC.org.

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