EDITORIAL Time to make a move on Medicare

Jul. 5, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Last week, the Senate voted against a bill that would have stopped Medicare reimbursement cuts to physicians by 10.6 percent. The bill swept through the House days before to an overwhelming majority of 355 to 59 votes.

Local Rep. Lamar Smith voted for the bill, as did a majority of Republican representatives.

The bill fell one vote short in the Senate.

Texas Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison voted against the bill, thereby enabling the cuts to go through.

Because of the vote, the Texas Medical Association has pulled its endorsement of Cornyn in his re-election bid.

Cornyn stated his position on the Senate floor last week, saying, "we ought to scrap the entire method of reimbursing doctors for Medicare and start over again. We have this unbelievably bad way of doing business. I don't know anyone else who would get away with this."

Where is the leadership?

These cuts have been on the horizon for months, not simply popping up last week catching everyone unaware.

So, while Congress struggles to get anything done, doctors, and millions of senior citizens on Medicare are left to wonder about their futures giving and receiving medical care.

When the Senate returns from the Fourth of July break, it needs to hammer out a real solution.

We agree with Cornyn when he said the system is broken. It is.

Now, it is due time for our elected officials to start figuring out a solution, not pointing fingers across the aisle.

Like the American Medical Association President, Nancy Nielson said, "this is not a partisan issue -- this is a patient access issue."

Newstex ID: KRTB-0413-26455670