AADA encourages inclusion of dermatology in preventative health care recommendations

The AADA has sent a letter commending Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) for introducing legislation that recognizes the role of specialty physicians, such as dermatologists, in providing expert guidance for developing and updating preventive health recommendations. HR 5998, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Transparency and Accountability Act of 2012, proposes reforms to the current structure and decision-making of the USPSTF, such as the creation of the U.S. Preventive Services Stakeholders Board. Also proposed is a Government Accountability Office report that compares USPSTF recommendations to those from organizations like the AADA.

Read more on the AADA’s recent work with the USPSTF on the implementation of recommendations for skin cancer prevention and limiting UVR exposure.

Medicare Payment Reform and Sequestration

As part of the Budget Control Act of 2011, Congress created a joint congressional committee (referred to as the supercommittee) that was tasked with reducing the federal deficit by at least $1.2 to $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years.

The supercommittee failed to negotiate a legislative package to reduce the federal deficit by the November 2011 deadline. Therefore, automatic cuts to the federal budget are due to take effect in January 2013 through what is called the sequestration process. Under this process, funding for Medicare physician payment, medical research, and Graduate Medical Education (GME) faces a 2 percent cut unless Congress acts to reverse the looming cuts. The Office of Management and Budget released a report detailing the sequestration cuts. Read more about sequestration cuts.

In addition to the sequestration cuts, physicians face an additional 27 percent cut on Jan. 1, 2013, resulting from the flawed SGR formula. Together, these cuts would decrease Medicare physician payments by nearly 30 percent, severely jeopardizing patients’ access to quality dermatologic care.

AADA Urges Congress to stop cuts to Medicare physician payments

To date, the AADA has communicated with Congress on deficit reduction and sequestration issues, as follows:

• The AADA joined the broader physician community in sending a letter to both the House and Senate urging Congress to stop the cuts resulting from the flawed SGR formula and upcoming sequestration cuts.
• During the 2012 AADA Legislative Conference, dermatologists and patient advocates met directly with 173 members of Congress and their staff to discuss efforts to avert Medicare payment cuts.
• The AADA wrote to the supercommittee to oppose a proposed piece of legislation that would make significant changes to pathology services dermatologists use.    
• The AADA joined the AMA and other physician organizations to urge supercommittee chairs Sen. Murray and Rep. Hensarling to include a full repeal of the SGR in the final deficit-reduction package.   
• The AADA urged the supercommittee to include a permanent SGR fix in deficit-reduction legislation.        
• The AADA opposes cuts to graduate medical education (GME) funding. 

• The AADA joined other physician organizations in urging supercommittee chairs Sen. Murray and Rep. Hensarling to include meaningful medical liability reform in the final deficit-reduction package.