American Gastroenterological Association - Advancing the Science and Practice of Gastroenterology

Congress Prepares to Hash Out Health Care, SGR Fix in the Mix

Congress and the Obama administration are trying to finalize a health-care reform package that the president can sign by early February. Democratic leaders met with White House officials to discuss health-care reform and are hopeful they can reach a final agreement that will pass both houses of Congress.

Several major obstacles remain between the two bills, which will be worked out during a “ping-pong” conference. Read the AGA Washington Insider, a policy blog for GIs, to learn more about this conference and what it means to health-care reform. Visit the AGA You Tube channel to hear more about the specifics of the recently passed Senate bill.

In late December, President Obama signed a bill that included a two-month freeze in Medicare physician payments in 2010, preventing a 21 percent cut from being implemented on Jan. 1. The House and Senate leadership have indicated that they would like to provide for a more permanent fix to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula either in the context of health-care reform or as a separate bill. The House passed legislation that would repeal the SGR and transition physicians to a new payment system. The Senate, however, has not passed similar legislation and only included a one-year temporary fix to the SGR as part of the health-care reform package that they approved on Christmas Eve.

Both the House and Senate are currently in recess, but leadership and staff continue to try and reconcile the differences between the two chambers’ bills and vote on a final package. The goal was to have something passed by the president’s State of the Union address, although it now appears that they will not have a vote until at least early February. The AGA will continue to advocate for a long-term solution to the broken payment system and urge Congress to enact a permanent fix to the SGR. The AGA remains committed and united with all of medicine in opposing another temporary fix, and believes Congress must include meaningful payment reform in the final health-care reform package.

We will continue to provide updates on the health-care reform process in the AGA Washington Insider. Sign up now for more up-to-the-minute information.