ACA meets with Senate on Proposed Medicare Cuts
Medicare Cuts Proposed for 2010On Friday, April 11, 2008 ACA was among the physician groups invited to attend a roundtable discussion with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT). Among other items, the chairman outlined his proposal for delaying cuts to the Medicare physician fee schedule that are expected to go into effect on July 1, 2008. Sen Baucus proposes a potential 1.1% increase in payments through the end of 2009. He also stated that he would prevent the drastic 21% payment cuts physicians face in 2010. By delaying the cuts for 18 months, he is hopeful that Congress can address the physician payment methodology on a broader scale.
Sen Baucus also outlined a few other provisions that he would like to include in the bill. One would give physicians incentives for using electronic prescribing and other types of electronic health records. Another would increase or expand the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), which increases payments to providers who report quality data. Baucus added that he wants to link reimbursements to quality of care in Medicare, a proposal that he plans to have on the Senate floor by mid-May. ACA lobbyists are on Capitol Hill closely monitoring this initiative and others like it.
Posted on Friday, April 25, 2008 at 1:31 PM
Posted in Insurance (RSS), Insurance DC (RSS)