The ‘Doc Fix’ Is High On Congressional To-Do List
As Congress returns to work, it will face a full plate of difficult items -- including efforts to address the Medicare physician payment formula. Meanwhile, some observers are worried President Obama's recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will lead to trouble for the confirmation of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.
Kaiser Health News: Health On The Hill: Congress' Full 2012 Plate: The 'Doc Fix', The Health Law And Automatic Cuts
Kaiser Health News' Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about what a divided Congress will face when it returns to in Washington this month and begins dealing with fixing how Medicare pays doctors. A conference committee has until the end of February to fix the so-called "Sustainable Growth Rate" or doctors face a big pay cut (1/5).
Politico Pro: Will Cordray Appointment Hurt Tavenner?
President Barack Obama's recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is worrying some supporters of acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner who are concerned that her confirmation could get derailed by an escalating tit-for-tat over appointments. ... Early signals following Tavenner's nomination just before Thanksgiving were that Republicans might embrace her nomination. She is well regarded among Republicans, and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the ranking member of the Finance Committee, said he had "heard good things" about Tavenner (Feder, 1/4).