AMIC Joins Throng of Health Care Groups Headed to Congress

The annual end-of-year march to the Capitol to seek repeals for proposed or scheduled cuts to Medicare has added urgency this year. Against the backdrop of an upcoming additional $11 billion cut in Medicare mandated by last year’s Budget Control Act, the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC) is meeting with lawmakers Thursday to ensure it voice is heard among the many others advocating for hospitals, physicians, health research, nursing homes, public health programs and more. According to its website, the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition is comprised of patient organizations, health care provider groups and imaging device manufacturers. It advocates for legislation that may expand access to medical imaging tests, such as the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act (H.R. 1394), and against legislation that may restrict access. Among the patient advocates will be 40 members of the patient group Colontown, reports the Florida local news site TCPalm. They plan to deliver deliver a letter urging Congress to reject imaging reimbursement cuts in negotiations to avoid the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cuts scheduled for January 1. "I know someone with colon cancer, a family member," said Sandra Scott, a Colontown advocate in an interview with TCPalm. "I observed the chemo treatment and the person I know is a survivor, but what I have come across is a lot of people do not survive, and that's why I am going to do this."Video from a previous Access to Medical Imaging Coalition Capitol Hill Day can be seen here.To download a PDF of the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) report that predicts Medicare will take an $11 billion cut as part of the automatic spending cuts mandated by the Budget Control Act unless Congress blocks it through legislation, click here.