The chairmen of the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees want a permanent change to the current system that repeatedly threatens to cut doctor payments unless Congress steps in.
Medpage Today: Bill Near To Repeal SGR?
House Republicans are launching a renewed effort to repeal Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) reimbursement formula, reaching out to Democrats and the medical community in favor of replacing yearly "fixes" with a permanent change in the system. Repealing and replacing the SGR is a priority for the law's two authorizing committees in the House -- the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee, an Energy and Commerce aide said Thursday. In a sign of how important this issue is, the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommitee's first hearing this year will be on the SGR. It's slated for Feb. 14, although a witness list hasn't yet been finalized (Pittman, 2/7).
Meanwhile, a hospice in San Diego faces financial difficulties after Medicare officials questioned whether it was adhering to their rules.