The Senate voted Tuesday night to postpone the 21% physician pay cut in Medicare that was to take place March 1. The action allows for a cooling off period till the end of March.

The Senate joins the House of Representatives, which endorsed delay legislation last week.

This provision was tied up in the Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) filibuster of the $10 billion COBRA and unemployment extension, a bill that also includes highway funds, flood insurance, and other measures.
Instead of a stable funding plan for Medicare services, doctors await their fate each year as federal allocations are debated anew.

The AMA has issued an updated statement. "Last night, the U.S. Senate voted yet again to delay the 21 percent Medicare physician payment cut for one month, postponing it until April 1. The Senate should use this time to permanently repeal the flawed Medicare physician payment formula that puts access to care for seniors and military families at risk," said J. James Rohack, M.D., President, American Medical Association. "Physicians are outraged by the Senate's failure to act before the March 1 deadline, as their patients and practices are hurt by the continued instability in the Medicare system. This vicious cycle of short-term delays that increase the size of the cut and the cost of reform for American taxpayers must come to an end. The U.S. House has already passed legislation that will permanently repeal the broken payment formula and replace it with one that better reflects the increasing cost of patient care. Now the Senate must act."

Rohack's comments reflect professional and health advocacy organizations lobbying fervently for the postponement, and urging a long-term solution.

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