As I predicted the Medicare disaster that I wrote about on 2/27/10 was averted when President Obama signed a bill postponing the physician pay cut of 21.2% until April 1st. Kentucky Senator Bunning had the bill held up along with several important attachments (like the unemployment benefits extension) until the Democrats could prove to him that they had a way to pay for it.

Organized medicine is still not pleased. There is something called the sustainable growth rate formula that is used to determine Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians. This formula is the reason that these pay cuts come up frequently and the congress has to waste time repealing or postponing them which is always what they end up doing. While this is responsible on their part and needs to be done, they could avoid the entire issue by permanently repealing the formula. Organized medicine has begged for this for some time.

Anyway all is well for the time being and hopefully congress will come up with a more permanent fix to the problem before April 1st. And hopefully Medicare patients will be able to get doctors appointments between now and then.  bjmdjd

Material modifications since posting: none

health · Medicare physician pay cut · President Obama · Senator Bunning · sustainable growth rate formula · wellness