Honolulu, Hawaii
United States
AARP HAWAII KEY VOTE NEWS ALERT
Today the U.S. Senate blocked critical legislation to protect access to doctors for the 44 million Americans who rely on Medicare. The Medicare Physician Fairness Act (S. 1776) would have replaced today’s broken doctor payment system, which calls for a 21.5 percent cut in physician pay in January. The bill failed to pass a key procedural vote in the Senate today.
| Hawaii | Voted YES to Move Doctor Access Bill to Debate and Vote | Voted to Block Debate on Doctor Acces Bill |
| Akaka, Daniel | X | |
| Inouye, Daniel | X |
(How a legislator votes on issues is only one factor in evaluating his or her legislative performance, which should also include such things as constituency services and committee work.)
“While we are disappointed by today’s outcome, we applaud Sen. Akaka and Sen. Inouye for voting to preserve access to doctors in Medicare and bring this bill to the floor for an up-or-down vote,” said AARP Hawaii State Director Barbara Kim Stanton. “This critical legislation would have helped the millions of older Americans in Medicare have access to the doctor of their choice by replacing the flawed doctor payment system. We look forward to continuing to work with members of Congress to pass health care reform that protects Medicare and ensures older Americans can afford quality health care.”
AARP strongly supports the Medicare Physician Fairness Act, introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). This legislation permanently repeals Medicare’s flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) physician payment formula, which has required repeated Congressional action to prevent unwarranted cuts that could harm access to doctors for people in Medicare. Repealing the SGR will stop an unprecedented 21.5 percent pay cut that otherwise will occur in January 2010, and additional cuts in future years.
AARP notified the 111th Congress that it was tracking roll call votes on key legislation important to its 40 million members and reporting the outcomes of these votes back to its members. “We believe people make the right choices when they understand the issues and position taken by their elected officials. AARP intends to ensure that its members get that information,” Stanton said.
