Senator John Ensign voted against an unrealistic Medicare bill today that swells entitlement spending, limits access to the successful Medicare Advantage program and lacks key priorities to deliver better, more affordable health care to seniors.  Joining with key Senate leaders, Ensign coauthored a more reasonable bill that could be signed into law because it does not face a veto threat.

“The Medicare bill we voted on today puts payments for doctors across the country, including Nevada, in jeopardy of facing a significant pay cut,” said Ensign.  “The Democrats forced a vote on a partisan measure knowing that it faced a veto threat.  We cannot afford to wait any longer to pass a physician payment fix, and the only way to achieve this is by working together.”

Ensign coauthored the Preserving Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), which includes a fix to the 10.6% pay cut doctors will face starting July 1.  If Congress fails to provide a solution to the physician payments, many of these doctors may stop treating Medicare patients.  This legislation includes similar Ensign bills relating to e-prescribing, therapy caps and speech-language pathology. 

“E-prescribing is such an important change because it’s a simple solution that will save lives, time and money,” said Ensign.  “Health IT should reach even further into the healthcare community.  Health records should be interoperable and electronic so information can be shared faster and more easily.  These would be significant improvements in providing better care.”

Along with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Finance Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, Ensign introduced this bill yesterday as a realistic alternative to the Democrats’ bill that was doomed by a veto threat and failed in the Senate today.

Both PAMA and the Democrats’ bill include a fix to the physician payments, however the Democrats’ bill expands Medicare by billions of dollars.  On Medicare Advantage, a critical source of comprehensive medical coverage for more than eight million people, the Democrats’ plan reduces private healthcare options for beneficiaries by cutting the program and limits the private fee-for-service plan.