Medicare Physician/APRN Pay Cut Avoided
On December 19, President Obama signed into law H.R. 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, which contains a temporary pay freeze on Medicare Part B reimbursement rates for physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and other non-physician providers. A 21 percent pay cut was scheduled to take effect in January 2010. The hold is effective only for two months, through February 28, 2010. The American Medical Association is leading efforts to permanently end annual Medicare pay cuts under the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vowed to work on the issue in early 2010, but that was before the Massachusetts Senate election and the ensuing chaos over health care reform.
Eileen Shannon Carlson, RN, JD
Tags: American Medical Association, Appropriations, January 2010, SGR
