Congress Reaches Deal on SGR

Congress reached a last-minute compromise that will avert the 27.4 percent cut in Medicare physician payment that would have gone through Jan. 1, 2012.

The U.S. House of Representatives agreed to vote on and pass the Senate tax bill, which will provide a two-month extension of the Medicare physician payment rate as well as a two-month extension of Social Security payroll tax cuts and federal unemployment benefits.