House Resolution 54 - Introduced

PAG LIN

                                    H.R. ________ S.R. ________


  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2               BY  HEATON, FOEGE, PALMER,
  1  3  WHITAKER, BUKTA, LYKAM, D. TAYLOR, WHITEAD, GASKILL,
  1  4     STAED, BELL, SWAIM, GAYMAN, ABDUL=SAMAD, BERRY,
  1  5  FREVERT, HEDDENS, MERTZ, T. TAYLOR, JOCHUM, MASCHER,
  1  6    BAILEY, WESSEL=KROESCHELL, FORD, LENSING, HUNTER,
  1  7   KUHN, H. MILLER, SHOMSHOR, DAVITT, D. OLSON, SMITH,
  1  8    REICHERT, WISE, PETERSEN, KRESSIG, WENTHE, WENDT,
  1  9      JACOBY, SCHUELLER, QUIRK, DANDEKAR, T. OLSON,
  1 10 UPMEYER, WIENCEK, SODERBERG, GRASSLEY, ALONS, WORTHAN,
  1 11    BOAL, CLUTE, BAUDLER, RAYHONS, RAECKER, HORBACH,
  1 12  KAUFMANN, ARNOLD, WINDSCHITL, TOMENGA, MAY, CHAMBERS,
  1 13     TYMESON, WATTS, RASMUSSEN, L. MILLER, DE BOEF,
  1 14  GRANZOW, GREINER, FORRISTALL, JACOBS, TJEPKES, DEYOE,
  1 15  S. OLSON, DOLECHECK, ROBERTS, HOFFMAN, STRUYK, SANDS,
  1 16                   RANTS, and PAULSEN
  1 17 A Resolution encouraging the Iowa congressional
  1 18    delegation to support legislation to improve
  1 19    Medicare payments to Iowa physicians under the
  1 20    Medicare Part B program.
  1 21    WHEREAS, Iowa's physicians are reimbursed by the
  1 22 federal Medicare program significantly less than
  1 23 physicians in most of the rest of the United States;
  1 24 and
  1 25    WHEREAS, Iowa's quality of health care, as measured
  1 26 by the federal government, is among the best, rated
  1 27 sixth in the United States; and
  1 28    WHEREAS, Iowa ranks among the lowest, ranked 44th
  1 29 in the nation, in the number of physicians per capita;
  1 30 and
  2  1    WHEREAS, Iowa's population ranks seventh in the
  2  2 nation in the percent of our state's population
  2  3 covered by the federal Medicare program; and
  2  4    WHEREAS, there are clear federal remedies that
  2  5 would significantly narrow or even eliminate the
  2  6 reimbursement disparity, which impedes Iowa's ability
  2  7 to recruit physicians to practice in the state; and
  2  8    WHEREAS, Iowa physicians are facing a projected 10
  2  9 percent reduction in reimbursement in 2008 if Congress
  2 10 does not take action to prevent the cut; NOW
  2 11 THEREFORE,
  2 12    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  2 13 That Iowa's five United States Congressmen and two
  2 14 United States Senators are requested to place a high
  2 15 priority on enacting a remedy to the disparity in
  2 16 physician reimbursement in the federal Medicare Part B
  2 17 program, and
  2 18    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Iowa's five United
  2 19 States Congressmen and two United States Senators are
  2 20 requested to place a high priority on enacting federal
  2 21 legislation that would eliminate the 10 percent
  2 22 reduction to physician payments in 2008.
  2 23 LSB 2935HH 82
  2 24 jr:rj/je/5