WASHINGTON – Responding to a misleading radio and television ad campaign currently airing in Mississippi, U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, both R-Miss., today reiterated their support for preventing cuts in Medicare payments to doctors without cutting benefits to Mississippi’s seniors. 

Senator Cochran said:  “I understand the challenges facing the Mississippi medical community and the patients under their care, and I strongly support preventing cuts in Medicare reimbursement to physicians.  I was disappointed that Senate leadership unnecessarily tied our effort to prevent reductions together into a bill with several measures I could not support.  I am committed to reaching a fair, bipartisan plan that will ensure that physicians and patients do not suffer the consequences of these cuts.”

Senator Wicker said:  “I support blocking this pay cut to doctors, but I don’t support cutting Medicare benefits to thousands of Mississippi seniors as part of the process.  The doctor pay fix was only part of the legislation that failed in the Senate.  The bill also would have cut benefits to 27,109 Mississippi seniors.  That is a horrible and unnecessary choice, and one that is the result of the majority party deciding to play a game of political chicken at the expense of the elderly.  I am committed to fixing this problem, and had a productive meeting yesterday with Mississippi doctors and two of President Bush’s top advisors.  Everyone agreed that this is an issue that can be fixed as soon as some in Congress stop politicizing it.”  

Sens. Cochran and Wicker voted against ending debate on the plan that failed in the Senate last week because it contained provisions that could adversely affect Medicare beneficiaries by limiting access to health insurance plans that allow seniors, many in states with large rural populations like Mississippi, to use federal dollars to pay for their health insurance. 

Since last week’s vote, a national doctors association has launched an ad campaign in Mississippi that misleads Mississippians about the senators’ position.

Sen. Wicker added:  “My position on this is very clear:  I support blocking this pay cut, and have done so every year since this issue first came up in 2002.  As we have done in the past, we will get this fixed so that these cuts do not happen.”

Sens. Cochran and Wicker both supported an attempt last week to extend current law for 30 days in order to avoid the pay cut to doctors while giving Congress more time to find bipartisan consensus on the issue.  This effort was blocked by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. 

With the support of Sens. Cochran and Wicker, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced they will not process any Medicare payment claims until July 15, meaning the payment cut to doctors is temporarily on hold in order to give Congress time to pass legislation that will stop the pay cut to doctors without cutting benefits to seniors. 

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