This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Bill would delay 21% Medicare physician payment cut until Sept. 30
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed legislation, by a vote of 62 to 36, that would delay a planned 21% cut in Medicare physician payments until Sept. 30. The bill moves to the House for further discussion.
On March 2, the Senate passed a separate bill that delayed the payment cut until March 31.
H.R. 4213, the Tax Extenders Act of 2009, is designed to provide tax relief and stimulate job growth, according to a bill summary.
The physician payment cut stems from the sustainable growth rate (SGR), a key factor in annual Medicare physician payment updates. Congress has repeatedly intervened to stall Medicare physician payment cuts in recent years.
"The American Medical Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology and the rest of medicine continues to condemn short-term fixes calling for long-term stability in the Medicare program for physicians and their patients," Catherine Cohen, AAO vice president for governmental affairs, said. "We need a long-term solution now to preserve access to health care for Medicare patients. Short-term fixes increase the size of the cuts and the cost of reform."
In November, the House passed a bill that would permanently repeal and replace the SGR.
Follow OSNSuperSite.com
on Twitter.