Washington, D.C., July 17, 2008—AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., issued the following statement on the congressional override this week of President Bush's veto of legislation that averts major reductions in Medicare physician payments.

"The AAMC deeply appreciates the bipartisan congressional vote to reverse a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare physician payments that went into effect July 1. The AAMC also thanks Congress for averting a projected 5.4 percent cut to physician payments in 2009 by establishing a 1.1 percent increase for next year.

Congress has repeatedly recognized that many issues with Medicare reimbursement must be addressed in the near future. We hope legislators realize that temporarily adjusting physician payments, without attending to broader issues, could have a devastating effect on the millions of Medicare patients who count on the nation's 100,000 teaching physicians for routine care, as well as services unavailable elsewhere in their communities.

With this short-term relief secured, we hope that Congress, the next administration, health care providers, and beneficiaries will be able to work together to develop a long-term, sustainable solution to the problems that plague the current system for reimbursing physicians."

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 130 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and nearly 90 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 125,000 faculty members, 70,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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