Doctors want to take care of Medicare patients, who number three million in the state of Florida alone. Among them are senior citizens, people with disabilities and military family members. However, Congress is forcing doctors nationwide to limit the number of Medicare patients they treat or to opt out of the system altogether.

Despite recently passing major health care legislation, Congress did nothing to fix the formula Medicare uses to pay doctors. Each year for the last decade, physicians have faced severe payment cuts that make it harder for them to continue caring for their Medicare patients. Congress is well aware of the problem, but instead of working out a permanent solution, it has placed Band-Aids on a gaping wound.

We believe that Congress must act now to stop the Medicare meltdown. How? By creating a fair, stable physician payment system that automatically keeps up with the cost of running a medical practice.