On the recordMarch 31, 2014
today the Senate will vote on H.R. 4302. This is a bill that will extend for 1 year the so-called doc fix relating to the sustainable growth rate--or SGR--formula. Patching the SGR has become a regular item of business here in the Congress. Indeed, it is basically an annual ritual that we have to go through. From the first day the SGR went into effect in 2002, Congress has acted to prevent its reimbursement cuts to physicians from going into effect in order to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries continue to have access to quality care. More often than not, SGR patches have been cobbled together at the last minute between the leadership offices of both parties. They are usually tacked on to larger pieces of legislation without the input of Members and without the benefit of going through a committee. For years this process has bothered Members of Congress who, like me, want to see transparency and regular order returned to the legislative process. It has also bothered seniors and physicians who are constantly worried about whether the gridlock in Congress is going to finally send them over the SGR cliff. There is bipartisan support for repealing and replacing the SGR, or the sustainable growth rate, and, to the surprise of many, progress has been made to do just that.…
