Medicare Doctor Pay Patch Sets up 32% Cut for 2013

The 10-month delay of cuts to Medicare physician payment rates leaves Congress in what some see as its toughest spot to date when it comes to preventing deep pay reductions.

Physician organizations and other health policy observers said lawmakers missed a major opportunity to pass a long-term solution to the broken Medicare sustainable growth rate formula. The pursuit of yet another short-term patch makes attaining a permanent fix to the SGR in 2012 significantly more difficult, with the price of a repeal going even higher above the $300 billion mark and the added pressures of competing for legislative attention in a presidential election year.

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Source: amednews