Doctors face Medicare payment cuts; Congress considers short-term fix

Doctors will face Medicare payment cuts if Congress doesn't act soon. The San Bernardino Sun reports: "Unless Congress steps in this week, Medicare will begin paying doctors less, which could make it harder for seniors to find doctors willing to see them. Medicare rates are set to be cut by 21 percent on March 1. Congress has postponed cuts before, but with the deadline fast approaching, the American Medical Association and other doctors' groups are urging Congress to do so again." The cuts are based on a federal formula that adjusts doctor payments based on economic conditions. In the past, Congress has repeatedly intervened to stop any cuts in reimbursements (Koren, 2/23).

CQ HealthBeat: "Senate Democrats have begun polling their ranks as part of a unanimous consent procedure to delay until March 28 a 21 percent cut in Medicare doctor payments scheduled to start March 1. The measure will clear the Senate if neither Democrats nor Republicans object, with the House acting Thursday or Friday to also pass such a measure" (Reichard, 2/23).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.