House passes temporary 3-month fix to Medicare MD Pay Cut -- Senate action needed

The House passed a defense bill tonight that includes 60 day halt to Medicare Physician 21.2% payment cuts scheduled to take effect Jan.1. The House included an amendment to the 2010 Defense Department appropriations bill, HR. 3326 that freezes Medicare payments at their current levels until Feb. 28, 2010.

The legislation now goes to the Senate, where Republicans are expected to filibuster it, forcing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to obtain 60 votes before the bill can be considered. This procedural hurdle will likely delay consideration of the bill until Friday or Saturday. This is a critical issue that has been inappropriately caught in the health care reform debate along with other critical issues impacting reimbursement such as excluding distribution prompt pay terms from Average Selling Price (ASP) calculations. We need health care providers to urge their Senators to act on these issues now with at least a temporary fix.