Senate Democrats Want to Add Physician Fee-Fix to Tax Bill

Tags: CMS | fee fix | House | Medicare | physician compensation

The Senate Democratic leadership wants to add the three-and-a-half-year Medicare physician fee-fix into its tax extenders bill, according to a report by the Hill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said his proposed $88.5 billion fee-fix measure would replace a 19-month fee-fix the House passed just before the Memorial Day recess.

In that vote, the House rejected a proposed three-and-a-half-year fee-fix, costing $65 billion, and replaced it with the 19-month measure, costing $23 billion, following a revolt by fiscal conservatives.

A 21.3 percent Medicare physician fee-cut went into effect June 1, but CMS has delayed implementation until next week to allow Congress time to pass a fee-fix.

Read the Hill report on the physician fee-fix.

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