U.S. Senate restores Medicare pay for doctors

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate agreed on Friday to rescind a 21 percent pay cut that went into effect earlier this month for doctors treating patients under the Medicare health program for the elderly.

The Senate agreed unanimously to restore Medicare payments with a 2.2 percent increase and to delay any further pay cuts for six months. The Senate acted on Medicare payments after a broader tax bill that would have temporarily stopped the pay cut failed on a procedural vote late on Thursday.

"The doctors will be paid. Seniors will get the benefits they deserve," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus.

He said he hoped senators will work out other disputes over the broader tax bill that also would extend unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of jobless workers whose benefits ran out last month.

That bill also would renew a set of popular business tax breaks and would pay for it in part by raising taxes on investment fund managers who now enjoy a low 15 percent capital gains rate on their earnings.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N18163412.htm

[Aramchek]

1. but I thought Obama hated Doctors??

:sarcasm:

[dencol]

2. So did they strip the stimulus from this - the unemployment benefits?

I thought this was having trouble passing because they didn't want to help the unemployed with the extra $25 payment.

[Tx4obama]

3. The rest of the story

Senate FAILS to spare doctors from Medicare cuts

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed legislation Friday to spare doctors a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments – but the last-ditch effort did not come in time.

Moments after the Senate acted, Medicare announced it would begin processing claims it has already received for June at the lower rate. The reason: the House cannot act on the fix until next week.

That means doctors, nurse practitioners, physical therapists and other providers who bill under Medicare's physician fee schedule will have to resubmit their claims if they want to be made whole, with added paperwork costs both for the providers and for taxpayers.

Rest of the AP article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100618/us-congress-spending/

[pattmarty]

4. What a fucking mess. These "people" don't have the balls to do...........

..........a goddamn thing right. The main problems with Medicare and SS is the Congress doesn't want to fund either properly. AND, this has been going on for a long fucking time. In Europe the conservatives would be castrated with dull butcher knives if they were to call for cuts in the healthcare and old age pension programs in their countries. HUGE difference between Europe and the US.

[Hoyt]

6. It won't be that bad.

First, Medicare carriers can automatically pay the additional amount (assuming it comes to that). And, most medical practices and other providers would just push a button on their computer to resubmit if they had to resubmit (which I bet they don't).

With that said, there was no reason for this threat of a big cut to go on like it did for months. It's happened almost every year for the last 10 or so. But this was the worse and the largest potential cut. Time Congress fixes the flawed formula used for annual updates to the Fee Schedule.

[2Design]

5. you mean they might have done something right n/t

[truthrocks]

7. YAY!

:toast: