Congressional leaders have come to a provisional agreement to delay the 2012 implementation of the flawed Medicare physician payment formula, averting through the end of 2012 a 27% cut in physician payments that was scheduled to begin March 1.
The latest proposal to patch the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula will cost $20 billion over the next decade; money for the fix will come from part of the federal health reform law that sets aside $15 billion for disease prevention, as well as from reducing payments for bad debt to hospitals and other providers, according to a story from Kaiser Health News.
Lead negotiators of the deal are Rep. David Camp (R-MI), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chair of the Senate Finance Committee. Congress is expected to vote this week on the package before the Presidents Day recess.
