Medicare Pay Cut Kicks in June 15 – Unless Senate Acts Fast
The U.S. Senate left for a long weekend Friday without tying up one major loose end – the so called “doc fix” which would prevent a 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement to physicians.
House Bill 4213, which would give physicians a 19-month reprieve before the pay cuts went into effect, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in May but has not yet been approved by the Senate. The repeatedly delayed cut technically took effect June 1, 2010, but the Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services again announced that contractors would not process claims for services delivered on the first 10 business days of the month. However, this “grace period” ends June 15. Therefore, unless the Senate swiftly passes the Bill and President Obama approves, physicians will see a significant reduction in Medicare pay rates.
AMA President J. James Rohack has lambasted the Senate for its failure to act, claiming that seniors are being hurt by the cuts in that physicians are being forced to limit the number of Medicare patients they can treat. According to Rohack, one in five physicians say they are already limiting the number of Medicare patients in their practice due to reduced payment rates, and the resulting impact on seniors' health care will be dramatic.
