Physician Group Letter Opposing
User Fees
Letter sent to Chairman of House & Senate Appropriations,
Chairman & Ranking Member of House & Senate Labor
HHS Committee
March 11, 2002
The Honorable Robert C. Byrd
Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
S-128 Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Byrd:
On behalf of the physician and medical organizations listed
below we are writing to express our adamant opposition to
the provider taxes (user fees) proposed in the President's
Fiscal Year 2003 budget proposal to Congress. The proposed
taxes (user fees) of $130 million would be assessed on those
providers who submit duplicate, unprocessible, or paper claims.
At a time when physicians are experiencing a 5.4% reduction
in reimbursement levels under Medicare, it is particularly
troubling that the Administration would propose these new
taxes on physicians. In addition, Congress passed legislation
in December of last year extending certain HIPAA Administrative
Simplification Act deadlines. The legislation specifically
provided an exception for small practices from being required
to submit claims electronically to Medicare. In granting the
HIPAA extension, Congress specifically rejected the notion
of user fees. We urge Congress to reject the proposed user
fees as unwarranted and unjustified.
Our organizations believe that rather than proposing a tax
on physicians and providers, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) should ask for an appropriate level of funds
for administration of the program and to fulfill its role
under its various statutory mandates. We have supported CMS'
funding requests in the past and believe that the agency must
have sufficient funds for Fiscal Year 2003. These funding
responsibilities should be shared by all Americans, rather
than imposing them only on physicians and other providers.
Congress has consistently rejected proposals for CMS to charge
physicians and providers' user fees for submitting duplicate,
paper, or unprocessible claims. We urge you to reject this
proposal once again. The physician community firmly disagrees
with the notion that a physician or any other provider should
have to pay for the privilege of submitting or resubmitting
Medicare claims.
We look forward to working with Congress to replace the payment
update methodology for physician fees for Medicare, passing
regulatory reform legislation, and other issues impacting
physicians.
Respectfully,
American Academy of Dermatology Association
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Neurology
American Academy of Ophthalmology
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
American Association for Vascular Surgery
American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
American Association of Clinical Urologists
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American College of Cardiology
American College of Chest Physicians
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Gastroenterology
American College of Nuclear Physicians
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
American College of Osteopathic Surgeons
American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal
Medicine
American College of Radiology
American College of Rheumatology
American College of Surgeons
American Medical Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Society for Clinical Pathology
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
American Society of Anesthesiologists
American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American Society of General Surgeons
American Society of Hematology
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
American Thoracic Society
American Urological Association
Association of American Medical Colleges
College of American Pathologists
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Medical Group Management Association
National Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory
Care
North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology
Renal Physicians Association
Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions
Society for Vascular Surgery
Society of Critical Care Medicine
Society of Nuclear Medicine
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