'Doc fix' momentum builds among House Republicans

GOP staff of the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees released a framework for repealing Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. One House Democrat said the approach wasn't strong enough.

Modern Healthcare: House Republicans Focused On SGR Fix
In April, the committees added details to that blueprint and sought feedback from the provider community. And last week, GOP leaders on the Energy and Commerce Committee unveiled draft legislation that will be the focus of Wednesday's hearing. Energy and Commerce leaders released that draft bill without their Ways and Means counterparts, which raised concerns that the two panels were no longer working together on the issue or had hit a stumbling block (Zigmond, 6/4).

The Hill: Schwartz Blasts GOP's Permanent 'Doc Fix' Bill
Democratic Rep. Allyson Schwartz (Pa.) slammed House Republicans' plan to reform the Medicare physician payment system as too weak to ensure the program rewards quality instead of volume. Schwartz is behind an alternative, bipartisan package for repealing the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, which necessitates an annual "doc fix" to protect doctors from an automatic pay cut of nearly 30 percent. Both Schwartz and Republican leaders have said their plans push Medicare away from its current "fee-for-service" system (Viebeck, 6/4).