The Finance Committee of the U.S. Senate is working to extend the sustainable growth rate (SGR) fix and other Medicare provisions that are to expire March 1, according to the American College of Radiology (ACR).
Physician payments under the Medicare program are due for a 21% cut if the March 1 date comes without a fix to the flawed SGR formula. The cuts were initially slated to take effect January 1, but they were postponed through legislation signed by President Barack Obama in December.
Under new legislation being considered, the SGR extension would last another three to four months, according to the ACR. That's because the fix might be folded into a larger jobs bill being brought forward by Democratic leaders that is still under debate.
Why another Band-Aid rather than long-term reform to the SGR? Senate leaders are concerned that passing a permanent fix to the SGR could affect whatever momentum exists for passing a healthcare reform bill. And the American Medical Association (AMA) is advocating for another short-term solution in hope of keeping the prospect of a permanent solution alive, if Congress does pass a healthcare reform bill, the Reston, VA-based ACR said.
The U.S. House of Representatives has not started working on an SGR/Medicare extension package, focusing instead on a larger healthcare reconciliation bill that would smooth problems it has with the Senate-passed healthcare reform bill. But the House will still have to address the SGR/Medicare extension issue -- or pass the Senate's version -- because Congress must act before the December fix expires on March 1, according to the ACR.
Related Reading
Medical imaging 2010: Is the sky falling? January 12, 2010
Obama signs SGR fix legislation, December 23, 2009
SNM supports SGR rate fix, December 23, 2009
House passes short-term fix to SGR cuts, December 17, 2009
House passes bill to fix SGR formula, November 20, 2009
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