Physicians can breathe a sigh of relief that their Medicare reimbursement will not be decreased for at least another year. The “fiscal cliff” legislation that was passed by Congress on New Year’s Day and signed by President Obama Wednesday night (January 2, 2013) averted the planned cut in Medicare payments for physicians that were scheduled to take place on January 1, 2013. The press has primarily focused on the income tax aspects of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. However, the legislation included several provisions relating to health care and the Medicare program, not the least of which was the “doc fix” provision that averted the “physician pay cut.”
