Dear Doctor:

AMA champion Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., has submitted her bill, S. 2785, otherwise known as the Save Medicare Act of 2008, which has received bipartisan support and acclaim.

But we need your help encouraging your senators to get involved with this issue.

We need you to call or email Sen. Christopher J. Dodd and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.  Urge them to co-sponsor S. 2785.  Use the AMA Grassroots Hotline at (800) 833-6354.

The Save Medicare Act would stop the Medicare physician payment cuts for 18 months without increasing the cost of permanently fixing the fatally flawed Medicare physician payment system. The 18 month timeframe will inject some stability into the program for seniors and for physicians who may be forced to make difficult practice decisions because of scheduled payment cuts. The timeframe will also provide time for Congress and the AMA to begin working on a long-term solution to the broken payment system, rather than devoting their efforts to stopping irrational payment cuts twice in one year.

Please take five minutes and make the calls or send the emails. Urge Sen. Christopher J. Dodd and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman to co-sponsor S. 2785. Your patients and your practice are depending on it.

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