Countdown Begins For Congress On 'Doc Fix'

The perennial "doctor fix" is the latest casualty of the Super Committee's inability to come to a deal on deficit reduction. Without the temporary boost in payments Medicare sets for medical professionals to take care of seniors and the disabled, doctors warn that millions could see their health care choices limited.

"I don't see how primary care doctors could take anywhere near like a 27-percent pay cut and continue to function," said Don Klitgaard, a family physician at a local medical center in Harlan, Iowa. "I assume there's going to be a temporary fix, because the health care system is going to implode without it."

The House has passed a "Doc Fix" that restores $200 billion to Medicare. This money was stripped from the recent health care overhaul to "reduce" its cost. Forget that. It's right back again. Smoke and mirrors.