Congress Adjourns: November 30th SGR Cut Still Pending

ASA joined sixty-six physician groups in a letter calling on Congress to take action on the looming Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cuts. On November 30th, Medicare will cut payment rates by 23% and another 6.5% cut will occur January 1, 2011, unless action is taken.

The House and Senate  adjourned yesterday evening , and will not return to session until after the November 2nd Election Day  A “lame-duck” session is expected to begin on November 15th.  It is during this session that the SGR issue will need to be addressed.

The physician community letter calls for a statutory payment update that lasts at least through the end of 2011. This will provide time for Congress and physician groups to develop a long term approach to repealing the flawed SGR formula.

ASA supports full repeal of the SGR with replacement by a mechanism that accurately reflects the costs of providing care.  Short of full repeal, ASA supports proposals that 1) provide for appropriate payment updates; 2) do not exacerbate projected future payment cuts; and 3) begin to address the magnitude of the projected payment cuts – the “SGR debt.”

Read the entire letter the ASA signed here.