DJP Update 12-17-2011 Saturday morning vote includes SGR
DJP Comment: Too bad Liberty will not be restored by passing H.R. 1700 or an equivalent that would allow balance-billing. Let government pay what it an afford and let patients and physicians negotiate the rest. Instead, more SGR nonsence; the chains remain on doctors. Until Congress gets courage and restores liberty, Medicare patient access to care will suffer. Everyone in Congress should be given Medicaid, which price-fixes below Medicare, as the Congressional health plan. Then the the system would get fixed quickly. Imagine a patient with internal bleeding and the doctors keep holding conferences as to what to do rather than operating and ligating the bleeder. Failure to act timely causes patient to die. That is what Congress is doing to the honorable profession of Medicine. Yet in all of the presidential debates, not one word is mentioned about this disaster of price-fixing.
WORD FROM SENATE SOURCE (Excerpt from the message)
Sens. Reid and McConnell have introduced a substitute amendment for H.R. 3630, the House passed payroll tax bill. Among other things, the substitute includes a two-month extension of Medicare payment provisions, which would prevent a 27 percent reduction in physician payments scheduled to take effect on January 1. Per the unanimous consent request entered into yesterday evening, the vote on this payroll tax agreement will take place at 9 AM TODAY, subject to a 60-vote affirmative threshold.
The legislation provides a zero percent update in physician reimbursement levels for January and February 2012, and stipulates that the payment increase shall be disregarded for purposes of calculating SGR rates for future periods. The bill also includes several two month extensions of expiring Medicare provisions (which are usually extended with the SGR). The entire bill is paid for through non-health savings, namely an increase in guarantee fees for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages. CBO scores are not yet available.
Medicare Physician Payment: Provides for a 0 percent update in reimbursement levels for January and February 2012. Provides that the payment update shall not be considered when calculating the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) reimbursement levels in future periods.
Medicare “Extenders:” Extends for two months a series of Medicare and health-related provisions, all of which would expire at the end of the calendar year unless otherwise noted:
· Section 508 hospital reclassifications;
· Geographic floor for work;
· Therapy caps exception process;
· Technical component of certain physician pathology services;
· Reimbursement raises for ambulance services;
· Mental health reimbursements (5% increase);
· Outpatient hold harmless provision;
· Minimum payment for bone mass measurement;
· Qualifying Individual (QI) program, assistance to low-income seniors in paying Medicare premiums; and
· Transitional Medical Assistance, which provides Medicaid benefits for low-income families transitioning from welfare to work.
———-END of SUMMARY NOTE FROM CONGRESS
LAGNIAPPE: I have been doing radio shows in the mornings across the USA and I continue to mention the price-fixing system in government programs as well as the broken medical liability system. Let’s all try to spread the work via radio shows, Op-Eds, and letters to the editor. It is up to us to get the message to the American people. Time to try something different. Relying on others is not working very well.
AND here are some samples of my tweets Friday. Get on Twitter and start spreading the word!
www.twitter.com/DJPNEWS
DJPNEWS Donald Palmisano
Restore #Liberty & #HR1700 a good start. #AnimalFarm RT @texmed: Quit Playing Politics with Medicare Patient’s Health http://goo.gl/fb/EzA3f
9 hours ago
DJPNEWS Donald Palmisano
Too bad #POTUS & #Congress don’t realize #hcr going wrong direction RT @medpagetoday: Docs Glum on Healthcare Reform. tinyurl.com/bp43pjh
9 hours ago
DJPNEWS Donald Palmisano
Restore #Liberty and allow Docs & patients to decide on value of service. Let gov & ins co decide what they can afford to pay. #HR1700
17 hours ago
DJPNEWS Donald Palmisano
Not one person who wants to be #POTUS discusses the coercion of #Medicare price-fixing & penalties if Dr wants to balance-bill true value
17 hours ago
Stay well.
Donald
Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD
Intrepid Resources® / The Medical Risk Manager Company
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