Medicare/Tricare Fix

[mickeyd]

Got this as part of an email from MOAA. Looks like the docs will get their money after all.

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It appears that, once again, Congress will act at virtually the last minute to stop a 21% cut in Medicare and TRICARE payments to doctors scheduled to take effect on March 1. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]On January 29, the Senate approved a Medicare/TRICARE amendment offered by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) before passing H.J. Res. 45, which increases the national debt limit. The Reid amendment would provide a five-year fix for the Medicare/doctor payment problem. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If approved by the House of Representatives as expected next week, it would put an end (for a while, anyway) to annual threats that big Medicare/TRICARE payment cuts would cause doctors to drop those programs' beneficiaries as patients. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Previously, legislators had been considering yet another one-year "patch". But because the payment cuts compound each year, a one-year fix would have meant facing an even larger 26% cut for January 2011.[/FONT]

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[rtroxel]

I received this from MOAA on Feb. 5:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Last week's report that H.J. Res. 45 (passed by the Senate last week and the House this week) would fix the 21% cut in Medicare and TRICARE payments to doctors (now scheduled for March 1, 2010) proved premature.

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]While it would let Congress reverse that huge cut without requiring specific cost offsets, separate legislation is still needed to make the fix. And only three weeks remain before the cuts kick in.

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So it's more important than ever to (again) urge your legislators to act immediately to stop the 21% cut, and keep thousands more doctors from dropping military and Medicare patients. [/FONT]
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