Deal Reached to Postpone Doctors' Medicare Cut

[Faygo Kid]

Source: Associated Press

Lawmakers of both parties have struck a deal to postpone a massive cut in Medicare pay for doctors, two senators said Thursday.

The agreement between Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and the panel's top Republican, Charles Grassley of Iowa, calls for paying doctors at current levels through Dec. 31, and fully offsetting the cost.

The deal, expected to be approved by the House and Senate, would stave off a 23 percent cut in doctors' pay scheduled to take effect Dec. 1. Baucus and Grassley also pledged to work together toward a mutually acceptable 12-month postponement that could pass before the end of this year.

Doctors were threatening to stop taking new Medicare patients if the cut went through, and experts warned that the situation would undermine the health care program for 46 million elderly and disabled. Health care for military service members, families and retirees also would be jeopardized because Tricare payments are tied to Medicare's. . .

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/11/18/us/politics/AP-US-Medicare-Cuts.html?_r=2&ref=news

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Some good news for a change - let's hope the Medicare payment system can be fixed so that these regular "doc fixes" are no longer needed. Not sure there's much of a chance, but a 12-month postponement provides an opportunity.

[RKP5637]

1. Recommend!!! n/t

[MannyGoldstein]

2. US Docs earn twice what their counterparts earn in other countries

We need to decide if we're getting value for spending twice as much.