On November 19, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation in an attempt to avoid the projected 21 percent reduction to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2010. This system determines how audiologists are paid under Medicare.
With a vote of 243-183, the House passed H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009. This legislation would replace the current sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula with a system based on the Medicare Economic Index.
This is just the first step in avoiding a reduction in payments for 2010. This legislation must now go to the Senate for consideration and passage, though the Senate has not yet announced if they will take up this specific piece of legislation. After a failed attempt at passing their own SGR fix (S. 1776) in late October, the Senate has included a one year fix in their version of health care reform legislation.
The Academy will work to keep audiologists updated as the Senate moves forward in addressing the 2010 cuts. Click here to see how your legislator voted on this issue.