House GOP Only Supporters for Toxic Doc Fix
Doctors groups have already come out against the House Republican plan. Yesterday, AHIP (America's Health Insurance Plans) sent a letter to Congressional leaders opposing the GOP's toxic doc fix:
"…we have deep concerns about packaging the Medicare physician payment bill with legislation that would sever the link between the ACA's individual mandate and its market reforms. The experience of states that attempted this in the 1990s demonstrates that removing this important linkage will result in more uninsured Americans, higher costs, and reduced choices for individuals and families. To avoid these outcomes, we are asking Congress to reject efforts to repeal or delay the individual mandate in the debate on Medicare physician payment reform." [3/11]
Even if this partisan political ploy does pass the House – it is a legislative dead-end and will not be passed in the Senate or signed by the President.
From CQ:
[Senior Republican Sen. Orrin] Hatch also indicated that legislation the House is scheduled to vote on Friday overhauling the SGR based on an agreement worked out between the Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees will die when it gets to the Senate.That measure would scrap the SGR, but the only offset mentioned so far by Republicans is delaying the mandate in the health law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152) requiring individuals to have health insurance. Such a measure is virtually certain to be ignored by the Senate, Hatch said.
"The Senate won't even bring it up, [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid won't even bring it up," Hatch said.
House Republicans are willing to toss months of bipartisan, bicameral talks toward a "doc fix" down the drain just to pursue their own partisan political agenda. It's just plain wrong.