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Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) today applauded passage of H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015. This legislation represents a bipartisan compromise which permanently repeals the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula for Medicare physician payments and extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides quality, affordable care for more than 89,000 low-income children in Michigan.

“This is an example of how Washington should work,” said Dingell. “Every year, doctors and hospitals face a crisis in determining what physicians are going to be paid by Medicare, and as a result patients are not sure they’ll be able to see their doctors or get necessary care. This compromise makes progress toward the goal of ensuring quality, affordable health care for all Americans by ending the decade-long cycle of annual patches to a broken system and restoring the certainty doctors, health care providers and seniors need and depend on.

“The second part of this compromise is critical for children in this country. It extends CHIP for two years, and while I would have preferred a four-year extension, this bill ensures that every child will be able to go to the doctor and have necessary check-ups, immunizations and medical treatment when they need it. This bill also expands funding for Community Health Centers by $7.2 billion for two years, which is critical for the state of Michigan. These centers provide vital services to those who need it most, and if Congress does not act, 4.3 million women and 2.5 million children will lose access to this critical care. 

“This is what I came to Congress to do – work with Republicans and Democrats to find solutions. Compromise is not a dirty word, and I hope the Senate passes this bipartisan compromise without delay.”