A Medscape news report indicates that the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to repeal Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for physician reimbursement.
The legislation gives physicians a modest 0.5% bump in Medicare rates through 2019 while shifting reimbursement from fee-for-service to pay-for-performance. It also extends funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which otherwise expires September 30, for 2 more years.
The $214 billion bill now goes to the Senate, where its fortunes are less certain.
