Bush puts freeze on Medicare cuts
Published July 1, 2008 by CSBJ Staff
The nation’s doctors can breathe a sigh of relief – at least until after the Independence Day break.
Although Congress failed to pass legislation that would stop 10 percent cuts in Medicare reimbursement rates, President George Bush agreed to freeze the rates at current levels until July 11. The cuts would have taken effect today.
The move gives the Senate time to pass the legislation, which failed by two votes last week. The failure made way for 600,000 of the nation’s doctors to receive 10.6 percent cuts in reimbursement rates for both Medicare and Tricare.
The payment cuts are part of a 1997 balanced budget deal that trims the money going to Medicare, but Congress has delayed the cuts each year.
Filed under CSBJ Daily