(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) applauded the Senate passage of
the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010, which reverses the scheduled
25% cut in Medicare and Tricare reimbursement rates and extends the current
doctor payment rates through 2011.
“Seniors
and doctors in Washington state and across the country deserve the health care
certainty that this bill will bring them,” said Senator Patty Murray. “While
I will continue to work toward a long-term reimbursement solution that works
for Washington state’s seniors and is fair for Washington state’s doctors, this
is a strong step in the right direction.”
In addition to extending
the current reimbursement rates, the bill also includes extensions of other
expiring health care provisions, including protections for rural hospitals and
doctors, Transitional Medical Assistance and the Special Diabetes
Program.
The legislation would be
paid for by modifying the policy regarding overpayments of the health care
affordability tax credit. This policy does not change the tax credits for
which people are eligible based on their income. Instead, the proposal
would change the way people pay back overpayments when they have received more
credit than they are eligible for because, for example, they earned more money
than expected in a given year.
See the summary and legislative text of the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010.
The
legislation must now be passed by the House and signed into law by the
President
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