Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, sent a letter Wednesday urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to maintain the exceptions process for Medicare Part B therapy caps. The action comes after the agency earlier in the week told the nursing home industry that it would not take such action.

"I write today to ... allow the exception process to remain in place until Congress acts to extend the moratorium and reinstate the exception process," the letter said. "Alternatively, I ask that you delay processing claims for therapy services provided to beneficiaries subject to the cap."

The caps--which limit Medicare payments to Part B therapy to $1,810 for speech and physical and $1,800 for occupational--took full effect on Tuesday. The Senate is expected to pass a bill that would extend the exceptions process (which protects most people from the caps) when it returns from its Fourth of July recess.