Senate Passes Temporary 'Doc Fix'

(WASHINGTON) -- The Senate passed a bill Monday that will delay a 24 percent cut in reimbursements for doctors who treat Medicare patients for one year.The Senate voted 64-45 to approve a one-year patch for the Sustainable Growth Rate, a formula which would have cut how much the government pays doctors treating Medicare patients.The current 'doc fix' was set to expire on Monday. The House approved the measure by a voice vote last Thursday, despite a last minute flurry of objections that put the bill in jeopardy. Both sides wanted to develop a permanent fix for the issue but were unable to meet an agreement.'This legislation is not perfect. It's not ideal,' Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday. 'There were tough negotiations. Unfortunately, the parties could not come to an agreement to what the permanent fix should be.'Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who is retiring at the end this year, launched an impassioned criticism of the temporary fix, saying it is 'one of the reasons why I'm leaving Congress at the end of this year.''Here's why the American people are disgusted with us. We're going to put off until tomorrow what we should be doing today. We should be fixing the problem instead of delaying the problem,' Coburn said. 'The fact is there's no courage, there's no guts, there's no intention actions to do what is the best thing in the long term for this country in this body anymore.''If you vote for this bill that's on the floor today, you're part of the problem. You're not part of the solution,' he said. 'It's a sham, it's a lie. The pay-fors aren't true. It's nothing but gimmicks. It's corruptible. There's no integrity in what we're getting ready to vote on.'

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