California Academy Of Family Physicians Lauds Congress On Medicare Veto Override; Call On CA Legislators To Similarly Rescind Medi-Cal Cuts

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 19 Jul 2008 - 1:00 PST

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The California Academy of Family Physicians today congratulated the state's Congressional delegation on protecting seniors' health care by overriding President Bush's veto of key Medicare legislation. Both the House and Senate yesterday rejected the President's attempt to block legislation canceling a 10.6% cut in physician pay that took effect July 1 in the federal Medicare program.

The family physicians also called on members of the California Senate and Assembly to show the same compassion for poor and disabled patients by canceling the 10% Medi-Cal cut in physician pay that took effect here on July 1.

"By forcing physicians to close their practices to Medi-Cal patients, because we no longer can afford to serve them, Governor Schwarzenegger and our legislators are leaving some of our state's most vulnerable patients without access to care they desperately need," said Jeffrey Luther, MD, president of the 7,000-member California Academy of Family Physicians. "We call on our state's elected leaders to protect the health of our poor and disabled patients the same way our federal representatives yesterday protected the care of seniors."

The California Academy of Family Physicians has joined several other physician and health care organizations in a lawsuit against the State aimed at overturning the Medi-Cal cuts, which they believe are illegal because the cuts place patient care in jeopardy.

Citing the state's budget deficit, the Governor and Legislature voted to decrease Medi-Cal payments to physicians and other providers, decrease benefits to the poor and disabled patients whose care is paid for by the program, and to increase the administrative hurdles for patients, all effective July 1. Family physicians and others are calling for the Legislature to find more humane and more effective ways to balance the state budget in negotiations still ongoing for a budget for the coming year.

"A healthy California population is a basic requirement for a well educated and economically strong state," Luther said. "Balancing the budget by denying access to care is a draconian measure that should be avoided at all costs. Physicians have done our part for several years by subsidizing care for the poor and disabled by treating patients even when we knew the Medi-Cal payments would not cover the costs of the care we provided. With the State of California now paying the least of any state in the nation, we just have to say 'enough is enough.' We call on California's legislators to do what they know is right - just as Congress did yesterday."

About the California Academy of Family Physicians

With more than 7,000 members, including active practicing family physicians, residents in family medicine, and medical students interested in the specialty, CAFP is the largest primary care medical society in California. Family physicians are trained to treat an entire family's medical needs, addressing the whole spectrum of life's medical challenges. FPs serve a broad base of patients in urban, suburban and rural areas, often in California's most underserved areas. For more information: http://www.FamilyDocs.org