The U.S. Congress returns to work Monday with the Medicare 10.6 percent cut on payments to physicians on its agenda. The medical community is pushing for a halt in the implementation of the payment reduction, which took effect July 1.

The push to restore the cut funds, by the American Medical Association, includes radio and television advertisements that blamed Senate Republicans for the cut in payments that affected physicians who treated older people.

Because of the reductions in payments, doctors in some states have stopped taking new Medicare patients. The House approved a bill by a vote of 355 to 50 to halt the Medicare reimbursement cut, but Republicans in the Senate blocked the bill.

While U.S. President George Bush threatened to veto the bill if it gets Senate approval, the Bush administration stopped the processing of new Medicare claims to give Congress enough time to craft a compromise bill.

The opposition of Bush, and other Republicans, to the bill stems from its financing an increase in doctors' fees by cutting federal payments to insurance firms that provide private Medical Advantage plans as an option to the government-operated Medicare program.

Up to 15 million claims are received by Medicare weekly for physicians' fees. A slight alteration in the percentage of cut would have major repercussions on the country's healthcare system.