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Dear Senator Alexander,
As a patient, I am writing to express my concern and opposition
to CMS' final rule that changes the payment structure for
ambulatory surgery centers (ASC's) beginning next year. When
the final rule is finally implemented, I understand that ASC's
that offer GI procedures will be forced to operate in the
red. As a result, they may not be able to afford to continue
seeing Medicare patients.
I am worried that I will not be able to access GI care in
my and my doctor's choice of facility in the future. I also
do not want to have to pay higher co-payment as services will
be forced back into the hospital outpatient department rather
than ASC's.
Ironically, CMS' proposal was supposed to be budget neutral
(e.g. it was not supposed to cost the government more money
than the current system). However, it will end up costing
American taxpayers and Medicare patients more for GI services,
because when CMS looked at budget neutrality, they did not
look at payments across the full spectrum of care sites. A
simple fix has been proposed that would be budget neutral
compared with current GI ASC payments, and would assure better
access and avoid shifting patients into the more expensive
hospital outpatient setting for their GI procedures.
Please step in, stop the implementation of this misguided
policy, and approve this budget neutral fix. Citizens who
are growing older deserve better! Please do what you can so
that my loved ones and my access to important care such as
screening for colon cancer is not disrupted.
Yours Sincerely
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