Fight to pass Medicare bill continues in the Senate

The New York Times reports that physicians across the United States have begun to reassess their participation in Medicare in the wake of the failure of the U.S. Senate to address the 10.6 percent reduction in reimbursement that went into effect on July 1. Before Congress recessed for the Independence Day holiday, the House of Representatives had passed a bill that would replace the cut by continuing the 0.5 percent increase over 2007 rates already in place, and implementing a 1.1 percent increase in 2009. However, the bill fell one vote short of achieving cloture in the Senate, and President George W. Bush has threatened to veto it. To limit disruptions of Medicare physician payments, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is not processing Medicare physician fee-for-service claims dated July 1 and thereafter and has instructed its contractors to hold the claims during the first 10 business days in July.
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