Physicians, yet again, face a 21% cut to Medicare reimbursement rates unless Congress acts prior to June 1st. Congress is set to begin the Memorial Day recess tomorrow and Democrats are struggling to have enough votes to pass H.R. 4213 (Tax Extender Bill). The bill is being seen as a Stimulus Part 2 and is generating a lot of debate due to the increase it will add to the federal deficit. The Medicare SGR forumla was expected to be “fixed” in the bill, but it is looking more and more like Congress will pass a temporary fix instead of getting at the root of the problem. If these cuts occur, it ultimately means that more physicians will stop seeing Medicare patients due to the gap in actual cost versus reimbursement and it will also mean diminished access to healthcare services for Medicare patients. As of this writing there is talk of temporarily extending the SGR forumula, but it remains to be seen what Congress will do the next day and a half.