| Congressman Bright's Thanksgiving Week District Work Schedule |
| 11/23/09 | |
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MONTGOMERY, AL – Congressman Bright will be in the district over the Thanksgiving Day District Work Period and will attend events and meet with constituents. Congressman Bright will be attending the Turkey Day Parade in Montgomery on Thursday, November 26th as well as the Christmas Parade in Repton on Saturday, November 28th. |
| Bright Votes to Prevent Severe Cuts in Medicare, Tricare |
| 11/19/09 | |
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WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Bright voted today to prevent a severe cut in Medicare and Tricare, ensuring that seniors and veterans will continue to have access to the doctors of their choice. The Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act will permanently reform the Medicare payment system to doctors, repealing a 21% cut in payments to physicians scheduled to occur in January. Doctors treating veterans covered under Tricare are subject to the same payment rates. The bill passed by a 243 – 183 margin and now goes to the Senate for consideration.
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| Bright Co-Sponsors Job Training Legislation |
| 11/19/09 | |
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WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to grow American jobs, Congressman Bobby Bright co-sponsored the American Manufacturing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration Act (AMERICA Works). Bright joined Rep. Walt Minnick (ID) in introducing H.R. 4072, which directs existing public job training funds to be used in developing nationally portable and industry-recognized credentials for workers in technical fields such as health care, energy, and construction, to name a few. This is especially helpful for workers entering the job market for the first time, transitioning into a new job, currently unemployed but in the job market, and for military men and women entering the civilian workforce. |
| Coming Soon! |
| Weekly Columns |
| 11/23/09 | |
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Last week the House took a very important vote to protect Medicare and Tricare for millions of veterans and seniors. The Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act will permanently reform the Medicare payment system to doctors (also used for Tricare), and prevents a 21% cut in payments to physicians that is scheduled to occur in January. A countless number of physicians in the Second District have told me that such a severe cut could have forced them to limit treatments for Medicare and Tricare patients. Passed by a 243 – 183 margin, H.R. 3961 now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Passing the Medicare
Physician Payment Reform Act is absolutely essential for seniors and veterans
across the country. It is unconscionable
that we could consider a 21% cut to the Medicare physician payment rate and
endanger seniors’ choice of doctor.
Doctors and seniors have long expressed their support and a sense of
urgency for reforming the payment rate and the House-passed bill will both prevent
any cuts and permanently solve this problem.
This will ensure stability for seniors, veterans, doctors, and other
health care professionals.
Over the last six years,
Congress has been forced to address significant cuts to the Medicare physician
payment rate, as determined on an annual basis by the Sustainable Growth
Rate. In years past, these one-time
“fixes” were very expensive, but absolutely necessary for the millions who
depend on Medicare and Tricare. The bill
passed last week moves us forward in a better way by not only halting the
scheduled cut, but establishing a new rate that will not be subject to future,
unsustainable cuts.
Reforming the
Sustainable Growth Rate has long been cited as one of the top priorities for
numerous medical and seniors’ organizations.
As a result, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act is
supported by American Medical Association (including the Medical Association of
the State of Alabama, or MASA), the AARP, the Military Officers Association of
America, the American College of Physicians, the Center for Medicare Advocacy,
the Medicare Rights Center, and the National Committee to Preserve Social
Security and Medicare.
Referencing the bill, MASA said “[Congressman Bright’s] vote today ensures that doctors in Alabama can continue to deliver the same high quality of care to Medicare and Tricare patients across the state that they deserve and have come to expect.”
Without question, reforming doctors’ Medicare and Tricare
payments is costly, and I would have preferred to see the fix fully paid for,
but there is no doubt in my mind that this was the right thing to do because quality
health care for seniors and veterans should never fall victim to partisan
politics. For too long now, previous Congresses have kicked the can down the road
and refused to fully address the Medicare physician payment rate, forcing this
Congress to take a tough vote on this issue.
But we are elected to make difficult decisions and I don’t shy away from
a challenge, especially when the end result gives seniors, veterans, and
doctors needed peace of mind about their health care decisions.
Wishing You and Your Family a Very Happy Thanksgiving
I would like to wish
you and your loved ones a very happy Thanksgiving. This truly American holiday gives us a chance
to celebrate our countless blessings.
Many also take the time to volunteer with their churches or other
organizations dedicated to helping the less fortunate, a sign of our generosity
as a people and as a nation.
Regardless of how
you spend your Thanksgiving holiday, I hope it is a joyous one in the spirit of
the first Thanksgiving celebrated nearly 400 years ago. The Pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation certainly
understood the value of faith, family, and friends and that’s why we continue
to observe the holiday each and every fourth Thursday in November.
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate
to call our offices in Montgomery at (334) 277-9113, Dothan at (334) 794-9680,
Opp at (334) 493-9253, or Ozark at (334) 445-4600. You can also visit the
website at www.bright.house.gov to
sign up for the e-newsletter. It is my great pleasure to serve you and
the entire Second District of Alabama.
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