Delay in Doctor Payment Cuts Likely to Be Centerpiece of Medicare Measure - CQ.com: "House and Senate aides are optimistic that they can craft a far-reaching package of Medicare changes this spring, after leaving many wants and needs on the cutting room floor in December. The legislation’s centerpiece, they said, will probably be an 18-month-long halt to a 10.6 percent cut to Medicare’s physician payment rates now scheduled for July 1, according to a Democratic Senate Finance Committee aide.
The legislative action is expected to be driven by the Senate, which also passed a six-month patch to the scheduled physician payment cuts in December. The cuts are mandated by Medicare cost-containment formulas, and Congress has delayed them several times since 2002, when they were first called for. Lawmakers believe that continuing to delay the cuts in physician payments is vital because doctors may stop seeing Medicare patients if the cuts go through. According to the Senate Finance aide, such a package would cost between $12 billion and $15 billion over five years."
