Seniors Win Fight to Keep Doctors

AARP took on the challenge of pushing Congress to act on this issue during its postelection session after hearing from so many members who were concerned they would lose their doctor if this pay cut went into effect. A national survey conducted in September showed that regardless of what political party they belong to, an overwhelming majority of AARP members in Medicare — 81 percent — were concerned that a Medicare pay cut could block their access to doctors. An even higher percentage of younger AARP members — 86 percent — shared that concern.

Why is this happening?

Medicare pays doctors through a system known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. This system was originally designed to keep physician costs under control. The system, however, miscalculated the number of services that would be provided to seniors, which caused physician fees to be reduced to stay within spending limits.

Instead of reforming this flawed payment system, Congress has voted to temporarily block the cut year after year. Unfortunately, each time it blocks the cut, the gap grows even larger and becomes more expensive to fix, which makes Congress less willing to solve the problem. This instability has caused more and more doctors to limit the number of Medicare patients they see.

What's next?

Although this victory should give seniors peace of mind that they can continue to see their doctors next year, it doesn't address the larger problem — replacing the failed payment system that will continue to drive doctors out of Medicare if it isn't fixed.

In public statements leading up to and following the final vote, AARP urged Congress to commit to make finding a long-term solution to this problem an urgent priority in the next Congress — and we intend to hold legislators to their commitment

AARP supports repealing the SGR formula and replacing it with a system that rewards physicians for providing care that is of high clinical quality, patient-centered and efficient. Unfortunately, because Congress has failed to address the long-term problem for so long, the overall cost of replacing the existing formula could run to tens of billions of dollars. While we know this will be an even more difficult fight, it is a necessary one, both for seniors and for future retirees.

AARP believes older Americans have earned their Medicare and deserve the security of knowing they can keep seeing the doctors they trust. That's why after the New Year, we'll begin our campaign for a long-term solution that will give seniors the security of knowing they have access to doctors who provide high-quality care.