Congress acted again to delay plans to cut reimbursement rates paid to health-care providers under TRICARE and Medicare by 23 percent. Both the House and Senate approved H.R. 5712 shortly after Thanksgiving, which sets the implementation date of the change at Jan. 1, 2011. The cuts had been slated to take effect Dec. 3. The Fleet Reserve Association reports that two key lawmakers – Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa – are working on a plan to extend the delay for a full year. Baucus chairs the Senate Finance Committee; Baucus is the committee’s ranking minority member.
