"Seniors across the country are experiencing the growing dilemma of fewer and fewer physicians who are willing to provide basic medical services under Medicare.  Instead of receiving treatment, they are being told to look elsewhere," Chairman Tauzin stated.  "Unfortunately, the Senate has chosen to ignore this growing crisis by failing to pass legislation that fixes the problems that are causing doctors to reduce the number of Medicare patients they treat."

A survey recently released by the American Medical Association revealed that 25 percent of physicians have limited or will restrict the number of Medicare patients they treat due to increasing Medicare reimbursement cuts.  This year, those cuts will amount to 5.4 percent. 

"We can no longer stand idly by as physicians face the largest payment reductions in over a decade, which in turn are putting seniors at risk of receiving inadequate and inefficient health care.  Many health care professionals are being placed in a tenuous financial position and Medicare beneficiaries will be the victims.

"The House has given the Senate plenty of time to address and debate this issue and other related Medicare reforms, including a prescription drug benefit for seniors.  We passed our bill.  Now the Senate must follow our example by immediately passing legislation that fixes the antiquated Medicare physician fee schedule.  Our mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers are all depending on us to do the right thing," Tauzin concluded.  

H.R. 4954, the Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2002, will create a new prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries, as well as provide relief to physicians by increasing their reimbursement payments.  To date, the Senate has not taken any action on this bill.