The U.S. House of Representatives on March 14 voted to repeal the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, but the bill's inclusion of amendments tied to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is expected to face opposition in the Senate.
The bill (HR 4015), which passed the House by a vote of 238 to 181, would repeal the SGR formula, which will cut Medicare payments to doctors by 24% starting April 1.
Under the bill, the repeal would be paid for by delaying the enforcement of penalties for the ACA's individual mandate to buy healthcare insurance. The penalty would be postponed for five years.
