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BLOG: President’s sequestration order cuts Medicare payments to physicians and hospitals by 2%

From international law firm Arnold & Porter LLP comes timely views on current regulatory and legislative topics that weigh on the minds of today’s physicians and health care executives.

President Obama signed the long-awaited sequestration order on March 1, officially cutting more than $85 billion from the federal budget for 2013. Coverage of these cuts, in both the popular media and trade press, has focused on the impact on programs for some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens. Perhaps most notably for older patients and those who care for them, however, roughly 12% of the total budget cuts (approximately $11 billion) will come from reductions to the Medicare budget. As a result, Medicare payments to physicians and hospitals will be cut by 2%. Providers should expect to see these reductions in payments for services provided on or after April 1.

 

For more information:

President Obama’s sequestration order

Order from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to federal agencies

OMB’s report to Congress on the sequestration cuts

Ted Lotchin, JD, MPH, can be reached at Arnold & Porter LLP, 555 12th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004-1206; 202-942-5250; email: Ted.Lotchin@aporter.com