Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate approved a bill that would delay a 10 percent physicians fee cut for six months. The Senate also voted to extend the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through March 2009. (Kaiser Network)
The bill would increase physicians fees by 0.5 percent for six months. Commenting on this action, the American Medical Association (AMA) said:
“It is extremely disappointing that after all the hard work in the House earlier this year to replace two years of Medicare physician payment cuts with increases that would help physicians keep up with medical practice costs, the final action passed by the House and Senate stops the cut for just six months, which creates uncertainty for both Medicare patients and physicians.”
Among other things, the Senate-passed measure would bar the service area expansion of Medicare Advantage special needs plans and put a limited moratorium on new long term acute care hospitals to ensure that patients are receiving appropriate levels of care at existing facilities.
Regarding SCHIP, you may recall that President George W. Bush twice vetoed a bill that sought to fund and extend the program. The AMA said it “applauds Congress for taking action to renew the government health care coverage program for America’s low-income children. This action will provide federal funds to cover state budget shortfalls.”