Medical imaging averts cuts in new U.S. budget

Dec 19, 2007

The final version of healthcare budget legislation passed by the U.S. Congress this week spares medical imaging from any significant cuts in reimbursement. Imaging advocates had been worried that Congress might surprise radiology with a last-minute "gift" along the lines of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.

By a vote of 411 to 3, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation December 19 that will delay a 10.1% cut in Medicare physician reimbursement scheduled to start in 2008 and called for by the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. The legislation was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate on December 18.

The law, called the Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Extension Act of 2007, replaces the physician pay cut with a 0.5% update for the first six months of 2008; Congress must address another cut starting July 1, 2008. The package will also extend funding for SCHIP through March of 2009.

This latest legislation avoids a provision in the proposed Children's Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act (which passed the House in August) that divided physician services, including imaging, into separate categories with its own target growth rate, according to the American College of Radiology (ACR) in Reston, VA, which lobbied for the package. Separating physician services could have subjected medical imaging to steeper cuts than other services due to its higher growth rate, the ACR said.

However, putting off the SGR cuts without reforming the system means that further cuts to the technical component of imaging will most likely be under consideration in early 2008, according to the ACR.

ACR to oppose future CHAMP-like cuts, September 26, 2007

CHAMP won't include Medicare provisions, September 20, 2007

U.S. Senate approves children's health bill, August 3, 2007

U.S. House passes kids health bill Bush opposes, August 3, 2007