Senate acts to stop Medicare doctors pay cut

[ProSense]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Wednesday agreed to avert a 25 percent pay cut for doctors treating patients covered by the Medicare health program for the elderly.

On a voice vote, the Senate approved a one-year "fix" to the doctor's payment formula that would stop a scheduled cut in physicians pay in January that advocates for the elderly said would have made it harder for Medicare patients to get medical care.

The measure now goes to the House of Representatives for anticipated final approval, which would clear the way for President Barack Obama to sign it into law.

The House and Obama must act quickly since the pay cut is set to go into effect on January 1.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B801P20101209

[nannah]

1. that is good news. thank you for the information.

i asked my doctor about this and she said it would have a large effect on family or general practices with large medicare populations; Like rural health clinics?? or suburban clinics?? or urban health clinics?? and force medicare recipients to find new practitioners who accept medicare at a diminished reimbursement.

[karynnj]

2. That's good news

I wonder if this means that the filibuster threat is not as complete as it sounded.

[Yupster]

3. This is such a budget gimmick

The budget assumes a 35 % cut which everyone knows is never going to happen, but it makes the budget look better by pretending it will happen.

And the same gimmick is pulled every year and then they fix it for one more year.

Such a sham. They don't take the byudget seriously at all.

[Ruperto31]

4. This gimmick causes a lot of anxiety....

for the people who need anxiety the least. Why should medicare recipients have to be uncertain every year about whether there will be a cut the next year? This is always accompanied by threats from doctors to cut off medicare patients.

[24601]

5. Wasn't the cut used to help sell HCR? What does that to to that

bottom line?

[Psephos]

7. That question has been decreed to not officially exist, by Executive Order # 197748.

The ancient Greeks had a device for answering such questions. It was symbolized by the letter "mu."

It meant "un-ask the question."

[Yupster]

8. It's the same thing

The hcr was budget neutral because it assumed a $ 500 billion cut to medicare which everyone knows is not going to happen.

[24601]

10. You mean they lied? I'm shocked, shocked I tell you! n/t

[defendandprotect]

6. Good ... very good --

[lamp_shade]

9. A whole year? That's fantastic. I was afraid they'd only get a couple of months.

[No Elephants]

11. We take care of the doctors, but not of the disabled and/or seniors who are eligible for Medicare

and look back on the days when they could afford cat food as their high protein years.

And wait'll next year.