Medicare: Bipartisan bill would make 'doc fix' permanent | MassDevice.com On Call

February 7, 2013 by MassDevice staff

MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A bipartisan U.S. House bill would end the cycle of so-called "doc fixes" that have averted Medicare reimbursement cuts since rate hikes were linked to the sustainable growth rate in 1997.

Legislators most recently enacted a bypass of a looming rate cut last month as part of the fiscal cliff negotiations, averting a 27% pay cut for Medicare payments to physicians.

Now Reps. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) and Joe Heck (R-Nev.) want to peg those payments to patient outcomes, replacing the SGR and the fee-for-service model that dominates U.S. medicine, The Hill reports.

Sign up to get our free newsletters delivered straight to your inbox

 Medicare spending growth slows
The Schwartz/Heck bill could gain support now that the Congressional Budget Office reports that Medicare spending is slowing at a faster rate that projected for 3 years running.
Read more

Permalink