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CONGRESSMAN BISHOP WORKS TO STRENGTHEN HEALTH CARE IN GEORGIA

March 27, 2015

WASHINGTON D.C. – Congressman Sanford Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) voted in favor of the bipartisan package H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015​​, which will strengthen health care for older Americans, poor children, and families by permanently fixing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula for Medicare physician payments, providing funding to pay Medicare Part B premiums, supporting community health centers, and extending the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for two years.

"This vote ensures that doctors will be able to continue providing high quality health care services to our seniors and veterans without the threat of ever-larger fee cuts followed by short-term patches," said Congressman Bishop. "Overall, the bipartisan legislation will restore clarity to our budget, stability to health care providers, and certainty to our seniors—a win for the dedicated physicians of Middle and Southwest Georgia who strive to provide outstanding services for their patients and a hopeful nod towards a Congress that can work together to get the job done for the American people."

In addition to replacing the broken SGR formula – which is used to determine annual Medicare physician fee updates – with fairer growth targets to keep doctors' pay steady, the bill also promotes primary care by providing an extra growth allowance for primary care services that can keep patients healthier longer. H.R. 2 was approved by the House of Representatives with a vote of 392 to 37 and now goes to the Senate for consideration.

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