In a 229-193 vote, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives rejected the Senate's two-month extension of a payroll tax break and unemployment benefits, leading many to believe a resolution will not reached until the new year, according to a USA TODAY report.
This could also mean the 27.4 percent cut to Medicare physician payments may also take place Jan. 1. The Senate's proposal would have placed a two-month freeze on the sustainable growth rate, which dictates physician Medicare payments. CMS plans to hold Medicare claims during the first two weeks of 2012 as Congress still debates the fate of the SGR, according to an Associated Press/Bloomberg Businessweek report.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) chose eight House GOP members to be part of a conference to negotiate the differences between the two chambers' bills, according to the USA TODAY report. However, Democrats have rejected the idea, saying that the short-term extension is currently the best fix. President Barack Obama also urged Rep. Boehner and the House to approve the Senate's short-term extension.
Rep. Boehner said the GOP members are "ready and able to work. Members of the leadership will be here…we'll be available to do what needs to be done," according to the report. In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said "it is unconscionable that Speaker Boehner is blocking a bipartisan compromise…a compromise that Senator [Mitch] McConnell and I negotiated at Speaker Boehner's own request."
Glen Stream, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said in a statement that the AAFP is "outraged Congress failed to prevent the 27.4 percent Medicare physician pay cut mandated by current law. That failure has presented their elderly and disabled constituents a bitter holiday gift — uncertainty whether their physicians will be able to provide the services they need."
This could also mean the 27.4 percent cut to Medicare physician payments may also take place Jan. 1. The Senate's proposal would have placed a two-month freeze on the sustainable growth rate, which dictates physician Medicare payments. CMS plans to hold Medicare claims during the first two weeks of 2012 as Congress still debates the fate of the SGR, according to an Associated Press/Bloomberg Businessweek report.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) chose eight House GOP members to be part of a conference to negotiate the differences between the two chambers' bills, according to the USA TODAY report. However, Democrats have rejected the idea, saying that the short-term extension is currently the best fix. President Barack Obama also urged Rep. Boehner and the House to approve the Senate's short-term extension.
Rep. Boehner said the GOP members are "ready and able to work. Members of the leadership will be here…we'll be available to do what needs to be done," according to the report. In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said "it is unconscionable that Speaker Boehner is blocking a bipartisan compromise…a compromise that Senator [Mitch] McConnell and I negotiated at Speaker Boehner's own request."
Glen Stream, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said in a statement that the AAFP is "outraged Congress failed to prevent the 27.4 percent Medicare physician pay cut mandated by current law. That failure has presented their elderly and disabled constituents a bitter holiday gift — uncertainty whether their physicians will be able to provide the services they need."
Related Articles on the Payroll Tax Bill:
Senate Payroll Tax Bill Passes, But GOP House Opposition Remains
GOP-Backed Payroll Tax Bill With SGR Fix Passes House, Moves to Senate
House Republicans Offer Bill That Includes Medicare "Doc Fix"