On the Dockets/Chopping Block Again:Medicare Pay Cut

The Medicare physician pay cut exists as part of the of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which says that the Medicare payment dollars paid out to doctors will be cut automatically when the cost out paces inflation. These automatic cuts have been delayed repeatedly by Congress since 2003, which is why there is such a large pay cut currently being faced by doctors.  For physicians, if passed, H.R.4213 would extend the currently scheduled 21.2% cut in Medicare reimbursement until January 2012.  This would eliminate the current month-to-month wonder of what, if any, payment they are going to receive from Medicare for 19 months.


The current bill incarnation, which includes the Medicare pay cut for physicians, is H.R.4213:  American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010.  As we’ve reported over the last several months, and as you well know, the Medicare physician pay cut has been an ongoing concern and battle that had twice as many factors fighting against it because it has been deep in with a dozen other extended programs including jobless benefits and COBRA help extensions.  Because so many items have continued to be packaged together, it has made it very difficult to get extensions and changes put through in a timely fashion.  To try to help things along and get items passed, they did manage to separate some items out.  As of this time H.R.4213 contains the jobless benefits extension and the physician Medicare pay cuts.  In an effort to get the jobless benefits extended, the COBRA co-funding help was dropped from the bill.  This still bulky bill has been called “Stimulus II”

It seems that Congress managed to pass H.R.4213 before it broke for Memorial Day recess; however, it looks like the Senate did not.  Consequently physicians will continue to remain in limbo for at least one to two more weeks.

H.R. 4213 will not hit the Senate floor till after the Memorial Day recess (June 7, 2010) and any changes made to the bill by the Senate will go back to the House (which will be back from recess on June 8, 2010).
 
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Friday (May 28, 2010) that it would delay processing claims for two weeks while awaiting Congressional action.

All information for this article was obtained at the Open Congress web site with extended links offered there regarding H.R. 4213.  For more information on this or other items on their docket, you can visit at http://www.opencongress.org