Since last Friday, claims for services since June 1 were being processed with a 21.3 percent fee cut. CMS said physicians who were paid the decreased amount would have to request the amount they are owed from their Medicare contractor. “Submitted charges on claims cannot be altered without a request from the physician/provider,” CMS stated.
Until Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had been refusing to allow a vote on the fee fix bill, previously passed by the Senate, because it had been taken out of a larger package. The package included enhanced Medicaid payments for next year and unemployment benefits. The Senate has not yet voted on those provisions because Senate Democrats do not have the votes to override a Republican filibuster.
But Pelosi finally agreed to a vote, saying the fee fix was “totally inadequate” but she could no longer wait for the Senate to pass the removed provisions, according to a report by the New York Times. The House approved the bill on a vote of 417-1 and it was signed by President Obama.
The new fee fix runs through Nov. 30.
Read the New York Times report on the physician fee fix.
Read Congressional Logjam on Fee Fix Continues
Read Senate Fails to Pass Fee Fix; Claims Processing Under 21.3% Cut Begins Today
Read With Medicare Fee Cut Looming, Physicians Weigh Their Options
