Medicare Pay Cut of 27% Averted; Next Deadline For Action is March 1.

The threat of an across-the board Medicare doctor pay cut was defused with over a week to spare. But the congressional agreement only maintains rates for an additional two months before Congress must act again to avoid a steep reduction. The House and Senate on Dec. 23, 2011, approved a two-month payroll tax cut extension package that included a two-month doctor pay freeze. That means physicians will continue to receive 2011 rates for Medicare services they provide through the end of February. Lawmakers will need to agree on a longer-term patch if they are to prevent the 27.4% cut from taking effect on March 1.

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From January 9th, 2012 edition of American Medical News, Volume 55, Number 1
American Medical News