Bilirakis: We Must Protect Current and Future Medicare Beneficiaries

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), member of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee, today discussed options to pay for a permanent replacement to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.

"We need to make sure that Medicare is on strong financial footing to be there for our parents, for us, and for our children. In 2012, there were about 145,000 Medicare eligible beneficiaries in my district. Paying doctors based on quality incentivizes physicians to be as efficient and effective as possible in keeping their patients as healthy as they can be. Today is an important step towards forging a bipartisan path forward to permanently replace the SGR," Bilirakis said. "We can agree on a pay for, and in turn provide seniors and physicians with the certainty in Medicare they deserve."

Watch Congressman Bilirakis complete remarks and questions here.