Skip to main content

Ellison, Grijalva, Schakowsky send Letter to Speaker Boehner on SGR Fix

March 20, 2015

Friday Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky joined Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs, Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva in sending the below letter to Speaker John Boehner about the Sustained Growth Rate fix. It details their concerns regarding cost increases to seniors and people with disabilities. Please see the text of the letter and the official letter below.

March 20, 2015

The Honorable John Boehner

Speaker of the House of Representatives

United States Capitol

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Boehner:

The Congressional Progressive Caucus urges you to immediately drop demands to pay for the Sustained Growth Rate fix through cost increases to seniors and people with disabilities.

While we support updating the outdated Medicare providers’ payment formula and extending other important provisions, it is unnecessary and harmful to pay for nearly half of the offsets in the legislation by increasing costs for Medicare beneficiaries.

The responsibility of offsetting this legislation should not come at the expense of our seniors and most vulnerable. There are more equitable ways to pay for a permanent solution for the Sustainable Growth Rate, such as restoring pharmaceutical drug discounts for dual eligibles. Republican majority insistence that the bill is paid by seniors and people with disabilities should be immediately withdrawn.

Sincerely,

Keith Ellison

Co-chair

Congressional Progressive Caucus

Raul Grijalva

Co-chair

Congressional Progressive Caucus

Jan Schakowsky

Health Taskforce Chair

Congressional Progressive Caucus

Issues:Health