Last week we linked to an article in the Houston Chronicle about doctors in Texas dropping out of the Medicare program. The program provides health insurance coverage to people age 65 and older and those who meet certain criteria. Because of lower reimbursement rates and other problems, many physicians are no longer accepting Medicare patients.
For doctors still accepting Medicare patients, the problem may get worse. Starting June 1, physicians will see a 21.3 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements if Congress doesn’t stop it or scale it back. An excerpt:
“If the problem is allowed to fester, it could undermine key goals of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, which envisions using Medicare to test ideas for improving the quality of care for all Americans. Doubts about Medicare’s stability can also create political problems for Democrats in the fall elections, since polls show seniors are worried about the impact of the remake on their own care.
…
“How lawmakers will resolve the problem is unclear. Initially, Democrats had talked about a five-year fix, then three years. Now leaders are proposing postponement through the end of 2011. Doing away with the cuts altogether would be expensive, an estimated $200 billion or more over 10 years. That’s what the American Medical Association wants.”
One doctor quoted in the story says she takes fewer Medicare patients these days. According to the Texas Medical Association, if the 21.3 percent cut goes through, doctors will net about $72 after receiving a $1,000 Medicare payment, as opposed to the current $290.
