SGR in the spotlight: Examining the 'doc fix' dilemma

News outlets report on how this formula, created to control Medicare spending on physician services, has evolved into a "budget-busting juggernaut."

The Washington Post: Medicare's 'SGR' Formula Has Snowballed To Budget-Busting Juggernaut
It was adopted by Congress in 1997 almost as an afterthought -; a new formula to keep Medicare spending on doctors from growing faster than the economy as a whole. But like a snowball that swells in size as it rolls down a mountain, the rate-setting formula has transformed into a budget-busting juggernaut that will hit doctors with a 27.4 percent pay cut for their Medicare patients in January unless legislators step in (Aizenman, 12/15).

Kaiser Health News: FAQ: The 'Doc Fix' Dilemma
Among the must-do issues on Congress' end of year list is the 'doc fix' – billions of dollars needed to avert drastic rate cuts for physicians who treat Medicare's 48 million beneficiaries (12/15).

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 'Doc Fix' Debate a Symptom Of Deeper Medicare Ailment
The impasse in Congress over extended payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits also has stalled action on a measure that could be crucial for physicians and seniors on Medicare: the "doc fix" plan. Action on a plan is needed before the end of the year to avert an automatic 27 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians. If Congress doesn't act to prevent the cut, doctors who already lose money on Medicare might leave the system, which means some of the 1.2 million Georgians on Medicare might have fewer choices in physicians (Teegardin and Malloy, 12/16).