Under the current Medicare physician payment formula, no legislative change will require a 21% reduction in physician payments in 2010. While President Obama’s 2010 budget proposal called for a fix, Senate Finance Committee Chair Baucus is reported as saying that comprehensive health reform legislation likely will not include a permanent solution to the Medicare physician payment system. According to the Congressional Budget Office, freezing physician payment rates for 10 years would cost $285 billion, as reported by The Hill.
