Bill > HR6142

This bill, known as the Assuring Medicare Stability and Access for Seniors Act of 2012, amends Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, which governs Medicare, a federal program providing health insurance for seniors and some disabled individuals. Specifically, it extends Medicare physician payment rates for one year, meaning that the rates paid to doctors for their services under Medicare will remain unchanged for 2013. This is achieved by setting the update to the "single conversion factor," a key component in calculating Medicare physician payments, to zero percent for that year, while ensuring that this one-year freeze does not affect how these payment rates are calculated in subsequent years.