Local Doctors Back Federal Bill To Boost Medicare Pay
Physicians are backing federal legislation that would increase Medicare reimbursements for care providers in some California counties by 5% to 8% over the next three years, the Monterey County Herald reports.
Legislation in the House to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program includes a provision to revise the price index classification, a system that CMS uses to determine Medicare physician payments based on whether their county is urban or rural.
A measure approved by the Senate to reauthorize and expand SCHIP does not call for the same change in Medicare payments. A conference committee will negotiate a compromise between the House and Senate versions of the legislation when Congress reconvenes in September.
President Bush, however, has threatened to veto both bills, and opposition from Republican senators could result in the House version eliminating the reimbursement increase (Johnson, Monterey County Herald, 8/19).