Unless our Congress acts within the next 14 days, MEDICARE and TRICARE payments to doctors will be cut by 10.6% in July of 2008. If that comes to pass your access to health care will be much reduced because more doctors will stop seeing MEDICARE and TRICARE patients.

In addition to cutting payments to doctors, hundreds of thousands of MEDICARE patients will lose coverage for their physical, speech, or occupational therapy unless Congress fixes the MEDICARE law within the next two weeks.

Cut and paste the below letter and send it to your Congress person. Thanks for your help in this matter. These changes will have an effect on medical care for everyone.

 I urge you to do all within your power to assure Congress acts quickly to reverse the 10.6% cut in MEDICARE and TRICARE payments scheduled for July 1.  The cut will only cause more doctors to turn away elderly and military patients.  Some doctors have already stated their intentions to do so.

If not corrected in the next two weeks, current law also will terminate speech, physical and vocational therapy coverage for hundreds of thousands of MEDICARE beneficiaries.

Finding TRICARE providers is already a major problem for retirees, survivors, and Guard and Reserve families who don't live near military installations.      

Please do all you can to ensure Congress replaces the MEDICARE/TRICARE rate cuts and sustains MEDICARE therapy coverage.  Without stability in the program, our military families and retirees' care is in jeopardy.

Respectfully,