Medicare

Medicare - Front Page

“Washington state seniors and disabled residents deserve a Medicare system that works for them – this means a system that ensures beneficiaries have access to quality and affordable health care, and supports our doctors through fair Medicare reimbursement rates. Medicare beneficiaries also deserve a prescription drug program that meets their needs as well as their budget. I remain committed to working with my colleagues to support and strengthen Medicare for current and future beneficiaries.”

Priorities
  • Fighting against cuts to Medicare physician reimbursement by supporting short and long term extensions to the current Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula.
  • Replacing SGR with a system that more accurately reflects practice costs and quality of care.
  • Supporting efforts to reduce Medicare waste, fraud, and abuse as well as control costs.
  • Lowering the price of prescription drugs for our seniors.
  • Supporting preventive care to not only decrease long-term health care costs, but also promote wellness and help prevent chronic disease for beneficiaries. Ensuring equitable Medicare reimbursement rates across the States.

Accomplishments

  • Helped pass the landmark health care reform legislation that provides a number of important benefits to Medicare beneficiaries including:
    1. Making prescriptions affordable for seniors by closing the dreaded “donut hole” gap in Medicare Part D drug coverage.
    2. Providing recommended preventive services such as flu shots, diabetes screenings, as well as a new Annual Wellness Visit, free of charge.
    3. Improving care coordination and quality through the newly created Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation which tests innovative new health care models that can reduce costs and strengthen the quality of health care for beneficiaries.
    4. For more information on improvements to Medicare in health care reform, please visit our Health Care Reform Resource Center
    5. Supported legislation that replaced cuts to Medicare physician reimbursement with increases in payment.
    6. Opposed legislation that would efforts to transform Medicare to a private “voucher” system, essentially transferring control of Medicare to insurers while providing no guarantee of benefits.