2-month SGR reprieve clears hurdle in Senate

by: CHARLES FIEGL Dec 18, 2009

In the wee hours of the morning, 63 senators voted to end debate on a defense bill containing a 60-day delay of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) cut to Medicare reimbursements. The vote clears the way for a final Senate vote scheduled for Saturday.

The temporary doc fix will provide a "bridge" to a permanent or longer-term SGR fix. There appear to be two options on the other side of that bridge. Here is what's on the table:

HR 3961 "Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009," approved in the House and now sits in the Senate. The bill replaces the SGR with a Medicare economic index to calculate payments. A similar doc fix bill in the Senate failed this fall.
HR 3590 "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," is the main health reform bill being debated in the Senate. Section 3101 of the bill contains a 0.5% increase to Medicare payments in 2010.

Most of you probably prefer option 1, but I think 2 is more likely.

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