Lawmakers are Considering Medicare Physician Payment Rate Fix

Congress is working on passing legislation to avert a 10% Medicare physician reimbursement rate cut scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2008. The Senate Finance Committee is working on a Medicare package that could prevent the scheduled payment cut and provide subsidies for rural and low-income seniors. Committee members are considering cuts to Medicare Advantage plan payments as a way of funding the physician payment fix, although there is disagreement about the level of the cuts. Several lawmakers have indicated that the payment fix bill will not be pushed to 2008, and Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is hoping to complete the legislation by the end of 2007.