Senate to debate new 6-month Medicare physician payment provision
Last night, Senate Democratic leaders introduced a substitute amendment to the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (H.R. 4213) that includes a provision calling for a 2.2 percent increase to Medicare physician payment for claims with dates of service of June 1 through Nov. 30, 2010.
The Senate was unable to bring the House-approved version of this legislation to the Senate floor for debate following a failed procedural vote yesterday. In late May, the House of Representatives passed legislation approving a 2.2 percent increase to Medicare physician payment rates for the remainder of 2010 and a 1 percent increase in 2011. In 2012, the payment levels would revert to current law, forcing physicians to confront an estimated 33 percent reduction.
The Senate may hold votes as early as today, however debate on this bill may continue late into the week before final votes are held. If the Senate approves the substitute amendment, the House of Representatives must still pass the underlying tax extenders bill before it becomes law. If the bill is signed into law, the pending Medicare physician payment cuts would then be scheduled to take effect on Dec. 1, 2010.
President Signs Bill Extending Medicare Physician Payment Freeze Through May 31
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the following statement this morning:
On April 15, 2010, President Obama signed into law the “Continuing Extension Act of 2010.” This law extends through May 31, 2010, the zero percent update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that was in effect for claims with dates of service January 1, 2010 through March 31, 2010. The law is retroactive to April 1, 2010. Consequently, effective immediately, claims with dates of service April 1 and later, which were being held by Medicare contractors, are being released for processing and payment. Please keep in mind that the statutory payment floors still apply and, therefore, clean electronic claims cannot be paid before 14 calendar days after the date they are received by Medicare contractors (29 calendar days for clean paper claims).
