SGR One Month Fix Passed; A “Kick the Can” Approach

This afternoon, the House of Representatives, by voice vote, passed the bill, (HR 5712) that provides for a one month delay in the 23 percent cut in payment rates that otherwise would have taken effect on December 1^st.  Recall that the bill passed the Senate before the Thanksgiving recess.

While some Congressional leaders want to permanently fix the SGR, the costs to do so remain a big obstacle.  As an example, the costs to fix this for one year are about $19 billion.  The next deadline before the cuts take place is January 1^st.  Whether the Congress deals with this issue before they adjourn, or the next new Congress deals with it (retroactively) remains to be seen.