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Medicare Physicians Fairness Act of 2009
Statement by APTA President R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD
October 22, 2009
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is disappointed by
the Senate's actions yesterday to block S. 1776, the Medicare Physicians
Fairness Act of 2009, legislation that would have protected the ability
of physical therapists to serve the rehabilitation needs of seniors and
people with disabilities.
S. 1776, introduced last week by Sen Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), would
have eliminated the sustainable growth rate (SGR) and prevented a 21%
reduction in Medicare payments to providers set to go into effect
January 1, 2010. Though a 1-year fix of the SGR is included in the
Senate Finance Committee's health care reform proposal, APTA supports a
long-term solution to the flawed formula. Congress should eliminate
existing flawed Medicare payment policies that impede patient access to
cost-effective outpatient rehabilitation services provided by physical
therapists, including repeal of the SGR and the arbitrary outpatient
therapy caps on services.
Throughout the health care debate, APTA continues to work with
members of Congress to ensure that America's seniors and people with
disabilities have access to high quality care rehabilitative
services.
[Last updated: 10/22/09 | Contact: public-relations@apta.org]
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