July 1 in previous years , but Congress always has voted to stop the cuts before they went into effect . Gerald Harmon , a family physician who practices in Pawleys Island , South Carolina , said the cuts could lead to doctors taking fewer Medicare patients , making it difficult for the program 's elderly patients to get the care they need . `` This Medicare access problem is a real issue , not just a political football , '' said Harmon , who said 35 percent of his patients were eligible for Medicare . `` It affects your dad , when he 's sick . It affects my patients in my practice . This has to be addressed . '' A vote on the bill last week fell one shy of the 60 needed to clear a Republican filibuster and advance in the Senate . Senate Republicans joined the White House in objecting to the Democratic-back bill because it paid for the increased payments to doctors by trimming government support for private insurance programs that provide coverage to Medicare patients . The private Medicare programs are a top policy initiative for Republicans . The issue has become the
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Republicans were facing pressure Tuesday to vote for a rollback of across-the-board cuts in Medicare payments to health providers after a major doctors ' group said the cuts could lead to a `` meltdown '' of the government 's health care system for the elderly . Doctors say they would take on fewer Medicare patients if the cuts go into effect . On Monday , Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nevada , called several Republicans trying to persuade them to support a bill that would reverse a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors . The cuts in Medicare payments -- part of a scheduled cost-saving formula -- went into effect July 1 , although the Bush administration said it will hold off on processing claims until mid-July to give Congress time to reach a compromise . The Medicare system pays for the health care of roughly 40 million elderly Americans . Rising health care costs have made Medicare a growing part of the federal budget , and the stress on the system is increasing as more baby boomers reach retirement age . Similar cuts have been scheduled to go into effect on