Doctors could face a payment cut of almost 25 percent on Jan. 1
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comCuts to doctor Medicare payments delayed
Seeded on Mon Nov 29, 2010 3:13 PM EST (msnbc.com)
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This $hit should have been included in the so-called "healthcare reform". It wasn't in order to steal 500 billion dollars from medicare to make reform seem less expensive than it really was.
Healthcare reform was for the uninsured, Medicare is the insurance for those on social security. This problem has been sitting out there for at least a decade.
irate Ken,
You should have asked irate Barbie before posting. There is not a single iota of this that has anything to do with "healthcare reform." You should have read the article, but I guess that is how you got to be the first poster --- post first, read later, think not at all.
What bull---more middleclass reduce income! Next SS and medicare so the Elite get Richer and keep more and more!
Hey teabagger people get off of Fox Un-News and if you ask me, you all are nuts, just stupid and/or brain dead teabagger fools.
Most if not all the highest performing countries today are in the EU. These countries have a strong middleclass and the Elites are not being big pigs on getting most of the income pie.
Soon the middle and lower classes in America will stop defending the Elite America. Let the Elites and republicans teabagger fight in the middle-east---Boy will we loss!
Also you teabagger should learn what Socialism is as compared to social programs. America's largest social program is the Military, which is mostly used to protect the Elite's interest in the world at the cost of the middle and lower class blood.
The next largest social program is all the reduced tax rates the Elite are given. Such as CEOs that get most of their yearly many $millions income in stock type transactions and only pay 15% federal tax with no money taken-out for SS, medicare, unemployment and so-on. Plus such things like Wall Street money managers who billion dollar yearly incomes are tax at the 15% capital gain rates. In-addition they can loss $100s of billions and still get their billion dollar income. What-about Exxon who net-net income for 2009 was near $20 Billion and paid ZERO Federal income tax, plus got cash back.
I traveled to many countries and America is no longer for Americans unless you are one of the Elites.
Who won the Wars with their blood that keep America free in WW1, WW2, and so many others---The middle and lower class Americans!--Who got rich from the wars of America--the Elites!
Now I suggest you look in the mirror instead of Fox Un-News, and read and travel and open your thinking based on what is left of your brain power to learn Reality 101.
Think, since prices on all products have gone up and the Middle and lower class incomes and bennies DECREASED and Federal income taxes inflows DECREASED and the GNP INCREASED---would your little brain power think that the Elites are eating like pigs all of the pie of America.
Also the Dems and the GOP are just playing Good Cop and Bad Cop game on America. Time for a American Party to replace the GOP, Dems and the brain washed Tea Party in Washington.
Just for the record----of the good and the bad---Dems have sold out to the Republican Masters but try just a little and I mean a very little to help most Americans more so than the Republican and the Teabaggers are just brain dead fools of the Elite.
This is the problem!
The dems did not include it, because instead of showing reducing the deficit, it may have shown an increase in the deficit. Keep in mind that there is a bill out there that the dems did not vote on for the doctors and hospitals reimbursements for around $200 - 250 billion dollars.
Although this thing has been around before health care reform , Irate Ken is correct that the same thing applies to health care reform. The 500 billion they are suppossed to take out of Medicare probably will cause providers to drop out and the projected cuts were only to make health care reform look good. The 500 billion cuts are probably not realistic. I think Obama used former Enron accountants to come up with his figures.
There is no reason for doctors payments to be cut!!! I believe the doctors will stop taking these patients. Then they will become the UNINSURED and end up at ERs all over the country and THE COST WILL BE HIGHER!!! Will these people in Congress ever learn ? Pennywise and pound foolish! Are their salaries being frozen or better still CUT by 30%?
doctors should have to take these medicare patients or lose all access to Medicare and MA patients or HMO's or payers that have these products; in fact since we already bankroll doctors through hospitals paying for their incomes (directorships, call pay and other slush funds; we should ban this all.) These whiners are gonna get their slush money because our congress is spineless to fix the system. That is, open up schools and supply jobs. You know, market place supply and demand for doctors. Not some elitist AMA setting the agenda. But since our congress is mainly made up of the rich establishment and is lobbied by hc industry this is unlikely to happen.
@jollyjoker It is quite apparent from your comment that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Thanks for sharing
your an idiot. any idea what debt we acquire paying for medical scchool and spending years training getting paid barely enough for room and board. Im an family doc and when all is said in done I get about $60/hr - little more then what i would have gotten going to a trade school to be a plumber/electrician. You cut my pay by 30% and I will have to drop medicare patients just like I cant see patients with medicaid. Its about making a living - im not getting rich. You deserve the healthcare your getting as far as I can tell
Physicians who decide to refuse taking new Medicare patients run the risk of losing all Medicare and Medicaid patients along with TriCare, VA remote payments, and federal employees who are patients. The Medicare payment model is all-or-nothing as far as the federal government is concerned. If a physician stops taking one type of patient he will watch his whole practice be impacted.
And then there is the ethical question. Why punish Medicare patients for a deal that the AMA cooked up and got passed in 1990? What did the Medicare patients do to offend the physicians so badly? Or is it simply greed?
My physician intends to try to get around the discrimination issue by making all Medicare patients pay cash only and seek reimbursement from SSA themselves. He is openly stating that he will not provide diagnosis or treatment codes necessary to seek reimbursement. Without those codes there will be no possibility of a Medicare patient being able to file a claim. His intention is to make it impossible for Medicare patients to get reimbursement and stop coming to him "voluntarily."
Physicians and Blue Cross-Blue Shield in Alabama (where Blue Cross controls 97% of the market) have conspired to increase their Medicare Advantage supplement by over 540%. They are openly blaming Obama even nothing in the health care reform is responsible. The physicians have just found a willing co-conspirator who will reimburse them for the cuts and pass the charge on to the patients. But the problem is that Medicare recipients in Alabama are dropping supplemental coverage in droves, so even here the physicians have screwed the pooch.
Physicians are very happy to practice in the 37th ranking country in health care delivery and the uncontested number 1 in malpractice incidents with medical malpractice being the 5th leading cause of death. They are happy indeed --- as long as they get their slice of the pie.
This country pays the most and gets the least for its money of any industrialized country. Even some third-world and emerging countries are passing us by.
Physicians need to man-up and starting looking seriously at how this country can have a stable and effective medical system. And it will not happen as long as physicians expect to start clearing $350k (pay and benefits) as soon as they finish their residency.
No significant or serious change is going to happen until physicians initiate the change and there is an ethos developed that does not place physician income above the interests of patients.
More false statements and blatant lies from the joker. Haven't you been banned yet?
I stopped practicing 10 years ago. Even then, Medicare didn't cover my expenses. I took a loss on all Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Interesting blog from Chris. All you did was point out to me how I can avoid seeing medicare patients if I have to. I dont make enough as a family doctor to pay the lease and staff and see anyone for free. I have a modest house and drive modest cars. I have 2 kids that I can's save enough to cover college for (which I'm OK with - I paid for school through the military but still owed $50k in loans when i finished med school) and I dont have any thing legit set up for retirement. I work 9-10hr days (only get paid by the payers for 7-8hr). And what do I get for that - people like jolly joker and Chris telling me how all I think of is money and how much I love causing malpractice in this country. I will be able to stay busy with or without medicare. If America wants medical care paid for out of pocket then thats what they'll get.
Meh, don't listen to Chris, he isn't worth it. Either he is a lawyer, works for one, or does not know the basic tenants of research. I've corrected you twice before, hopefully third times a charm.
Malpractice is not the 5th leading cause of death. It only reaches 10th if all hospital acquired infections are counted as malpractice. However they are not so it's actually way way down on the list.
Ranking 30-40's is for the overall heath of our population you idiot, not the quality of our healthcare. We have the worst lifestyle out of all industrialized nations for health and fitness and no amount of quality healthcare can make up for it at this point in time. The quality of our healthcare system actually ranks top 5 in the world.
I'd suggest you either quit being so stupid, or quit posting your crap that's blatantly false. You're only being part of the problem at this point with your ignorance and/or lies.
Mitchell
jollyjoker, if the doctors get a 23 percent reimbursement cut and then lose money on Medicare patients, do you honestly think it will hurt them if they can not supply medical services to Medicare patients? Think about whay you said. If you are running a business and a portion is losing money, you either find a way to make it profitable, or drop it. There is no way for the doctors to make it more profitable, unless the feds give more money. Not going to happen. On a side subject. The news outlets like MSNBC, ABC, CBS, and NBC are failing to report that a union in New York is dropping coverage for about 6,000 low income children because of the healthcare bill. A union that is a subsidiary of the SEIU that fought for the healthcare bill. AARP raised their premiums up to 13% stating the healtcare bill. 111 companies have not gotten or will get a waiver for the healthcare bill because it will be too costly and could force them out of business.
To back up my claim. No one in the liberal media is reporting the union in New York that is dropping 6,000 low income children off of its health insurance. Claiming it is to do with the new healthcare law. This union is a subsidiary of the SEIU that fought for the new healthcare bill. Ironic. You can read the article.
http://reason.com/blog/2010/11/29/labor-union-health-fund-drops
Don't forget the 111 waivers for companies out of the healthcare bill.
Don't forget the AARP that is increasing their premiums higher than normal, citing the new healthcare bill.
Don't forget the 700,000 people that are being dropped from the Medicare Advantage program because of the Healthcare bill. Which obama and the dems stated many times, that no one would lose their coverage.
Where did you hear about this? From Fox and not the liberal news organizations that do not want you to know about this.
There's your Republicans for you -- falling over each other to make sure millionaires don't have to pay taxes while they figure out ways to cut back on money spent on the elderly and poor. Remember, old and poor people never hire anyone.
Ricksta, do you understand that over 40% of all Americans do not pay any income tax? Is this right? And many get an EIC and receive a refund. Do you honestly think it is right for the fed, state, local governments to take 50% or more of what you make? Would you and other liberals like to work 6 months out of a year for free? I am not rich, but I would not like working for free for 6 months. We penalize people for initiative and tax them.
Medicare will be bankrupt much sooner now that half the funding for Obamacare will come from it. Another in a series of feel-good, vote-buying enitilements for Americans who can't do basic math.
All this does is delay the agony. The government still has no idea on how to fix the problem.
Remember OBAMA in 2012 for this one.
All the seniors on Medicare should send him a Thank You Note.
This is part of his "BIG CHANGE"
What bull---more middleclass reduce income! Next SS and medicare so the Elite get Richer and keep more and more!
Hey teabagger people get off of Fox Un-News and if you ask me, you all are nuts, just stupid and/or brain dead teabagger fools.
Most if not all the highest performing countries today are in the EU. These countries have a strong middleclass and the Elites are not being big pigs on getting most of the income pie.
Soon the middle and lower classes in America will stop defending the Elite America. Let the Elites and republicans teabagger fight in the middle-east---Boy will we loss!
Also you teabagger should learn what Socialism is as compared to social programs. America's largest social program is the Military, which is mostly used to protect the Elite's interest in the world at the cost of the middle and lower class blood.
The next largest social program is all the reduced tax rates the Elite are given. Such as CEOs that get most of their yearly many $millions income in stock type transactions and only pay 15% federal tax with no money taken-out for SS, medicare, unemployment and so-on. Plus such things like Wall Street money managers who billion dollar yearly incomes are tax at the 15% capital gain rates. In-addition they can loss $100s of billions and still get their billion dollar income. What-about Exxon who net-net income for 2009 was near $20 Billion and paid ZERO Federal income tax, plus got cash back.
I traveled to many countries and America is no longer for Americans unless you are one of the Elites.
Who won the Wars with their blood that keep America free in WW1, WW2, and so many others---The middle and lower class Americans!--Who got rich from the wars of America--the Elites!
Now I suggest you look in the mirror instead of Fox Un-News, and read and travel and open your thinking based on what is left of your brain power to learn Reality 101.
Think, since prices on all products have gone up and the Middle and lower class incomes and bennies DECREASED and Federal income taxes inflows DECREASED and the GNP INCREASED---would your little brain power think that the Elites are eating like pigs all of the pie of America.
Also the Dems and the GOP are just playing Good Cop and Bad Cop game on America. Time for a American Party to replace the GOP, Dems and the brain washed Tea Party in Washington.
Just for the record----of the good and the bad---Dems have sold out to the Republican Masters but try just a little and I mean a very little to help most Americans more so than the Republican and the Teabaggers are just brain dead fools of the Elite.
This is the problem!
Frank where are you coming from? Let's see. Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland and a few other of your great European nations are about ready to go belly up and are asking for rescues. The same European countries that are reducing the amount of time you can collect unemployment, eg France. Raising the retirement ages. And now cutting social programs. Not a good example that you gave. Not that Fox does not lean to the right. But, I would challenge you t to look at MSNBC(as far left as a station can be), CBS, NBC, ABC, and add up the conservative contributors, not guests and I can add up the liberal contributors on Fox. I will guarantee that there are more liberals on Fox than conservatives on the others, all added up. Fox is the only network that the American people can get informed of all the crap that the liberals and democrats are up to. The other organizations will not report it, since they are liberal and know that by doing so, it will hurt the liberal and progressive agenda.
Billions in Medicare Fraud. Anyone know how many doctors/hospital administrators are serving hard time for this billion dollar criminal activity, or where to find out this information? Our Justice Department has been prosecuting these criminals haven't they?
yah im sure the main problem with medicare is doctors ripping off the system. another jackass that thinks all doctors are rich and sitting on there a$$ stealing money from people
If you will do the research you will find that it is not the doctors but the drug companies that have been caught committing fraud. They are the ones defrauding and they are being prosecuted. You will not find many doctors, other than reprobates that stupidly file false claims, that are committing fraud.
http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/michigan-doctor-convicted-183m-medicare-fraud-scheme
Do some research (Google, etc.) before you start calling people names! There are other sources on this subject that are available. I didn't say what you state in your reply. Doctors are not the main problem of this fraud, but are a good part of it if you care to check it out! If the AMA spent their money on improving, and regulating their own instead of lobbying the politicians. Health care would be improved. A newspaper in chicago ran a story on many doctors who were convicted of sex crimes, yet still kept their medical licenses! Doesn't look like equal justice to me! I think my doctor is great, but that doesn't mean I'm dumb enough to believe they all walk on water! Greed infects all human beings.
Oh gee, another month. Our govt has had what, 10 yrs to come up with something. Let's see what the whiz kids produce in January.
This stuff has nothing to do with Obama. Medical insurance rates have been going up 15-30%/yr for years now. Congress cant figure out how to fund the fact that people are getting older and medicine cost more (at least the "standard of care" which means everything possible regardless of cost being done for everyone in this country). The ratio of working tax paying people to retired medicare recieving players is getting worse everyyear. cant get blood from a stone. We either give up more to take care of our parents or redefine the standard of care or give up and let doctors decide how many can afford to take care of medicare patients if the payments are decreased. I dont think any congress weve had in the last 20yrs has the balls to fix this.
If this were happening to a "real" business, such as a bank, insurance company, or lawyers, this would have been totally stopped, smashed, derailed, or whatever LONG ago. Because hospitals' and doctors' job are to help people, it appears that for some irrational reason we as a culture think it is ok to screw around with doctors' ability to make a living. If a person's job is merely to make money with no concern for others, then oh no, they have to protect that right. I'm afraid I just don't understand....and I don't think I'm alone.
Baseball players that make millions a year can go on strike, but not doctors. Oh no, they are "professionals". Hah! Most doctors are just owned by the hospital they work for these days. The days they were professionals are LONG GONE. However, the non-union rules still hang on. Some day doctors will get tired of all this nonsense and insanity and say: ENOUGH! However, first I think they have to find that spine they keep treating...so I think doctors only have themselves to blame for this.
So true, RWSP! What would happen if we all just said "enough"!?! I'd hate to do it, but it may be the only way we can finally get through to them!!
Congress keeps on "kicking this can down the road". What none of them and a lot of the public do not understand is that even a 20% cut in reimbursement to doctors on Medicare patients will mean that the doctors will be seeing Medicare patients at a loss. They will actually be seeing Medicare patients and losing money for each one they see. This is going to force a lot of doctors to go out of business or stop seeing Medicare patients, or both. Once this happens it will take a long time for clinics to reopen, even if Congress has sense enough to do so, because the employees will seek jobs elsewhere. It is not easy to hire experienced and well trained employees and if those employees do not feel secure in their jobs, they will go elsewhere. How many things in the private sector have been really made better by our "legislators"? Everything they touch turns to..... you know what.
Get ready, both parties are about to royally screw up another sector of private American enterprise.
As an internist with high overhead and kids in college, I unfortunately will give all my Medicare patients 30 days (as per law) to find a new physician if these pay cuts are enacted. After 30 days, I am no longer resposible for their care but the local ER's will have their hands full prescribing their medicines and managing all their problems. It could be quite interesting!
I'm sorry i can't attend the TEA rally as I couldn't see my doctor and get my meds maybe next year
My Doctor charges 136$ cash upfront and Medicare reimburses me 47$ thanks Medicare
As an internist with high overhead and kids in college, I will unfortunately give all my Medicare patients 30 days (as per law) to find a new physician if the Medicare pay cuts go in effect. After 30 days, I will no longer be legally responsible for prescribing their medications nor have to manage all their medical conditions. The local ER's will have their hands full with all these Medicare patients courtesy of the United States government and Obamacare. It could be quite interesting!
This is what happens when you postpone fixing a leaky roof!
Now we will have to phase in the cuts over the next 5 years.
Next they need to cut the congress and senate pay by 50%, take away sick days and limit vacation days to two weeks.
This healthcare is going to distroy medicare and I can't believe a democratic president devised it. Never was it said that medical was going to get tosssed onto medicare thus making the retired/disabled elderly support those who can't or don't pay anything. Never was it said we'd have to cut doctor's pay an additional 25% and we'd be stuck in a position to try to find our own doctors who would accept this. Ok Republicans You Promised You'd Repeal this so get All of it Repealed Now. This plan is a travesty!
Let's see. A law that was passed over 20 years ago that has yet to go into effect and our amazing government cannot move forward with implementation or get together long enough to find a permanent fix to the issue. No wonder our country's budget is in trouble.
I want to keep my own Doctor and if they cut the payments to my Doctor he has already told me he HAS to quit seeing medicare patients.I am a social security disabitity patient with medicare.I have no choice and if the "health care" continues like it is I will have NO Doctor at all!THen what do I do Mr.President?
The reality will become that you would need to go to an ER for all your medical needs, assuming your local hospital accepts medicare patients, if not you will have to travel. It's not very convenient. Now the big problem is that the hospitals are not prepared to handle a large influx of patients on a daily basis and the wait times will more horrendous than they are now. And the hospital's are going to have to cut their costs even further, which means less qualified or trained staff to assist the patients. The healthcare reform is coing to bring about 15 million, I think this number is right, more people into the system who will have some form of insurance and seeking the same services that you are. With the current bills and strategies in Washington, what I see is a collapse of the American healthcare system in the next 5 to 10 years, conservatively. They either have to highly regulate the insurance, pharmaceuticals, medical suppliers to bring prices down or they need to go with a fully funded social healthcare system, which means increased taxes. Anything in the middle will be a disaster.
I don't mean to scare people, but the reality is scary and its very serious.
This Congress is a disaster. I hope the Tea Party is happy. Do they have ANY IDEA that the Republicans DO NOT represent them??? Republicans are against tax cuts for the upper 1% of the nations wealthiest. They want to get rid of Medicare, period! We need,and MUST HAVE, representatives with a conscience, if they exist. And President Obama MUST take a stand against Republicans. They are walking all over him, and US as well !!!
NO CUTS TO DOCTORS WHO ARE TENDING TO SENIORS AND THE ELDERLY.
no cuts to doctors who take care of medicare patients !!!
The amount of money that medicare pays is less than the cost of doing business for doctors. Seeing a patient isn't free. You have to pay rent on your office, you have to pay your office manager, nurse, etc. a salary (supporting them and THEIR families), you have to pay malpractice insurance, etc. You just can't see patients that don't pay you enough to keep your doors open. You simply can't. No other industry has to do this except medicine! Pretty soon medical care will only be delivered by PAs, nurses acting as doctors, etc. Imagine yourself getting surgery from a nurse with a doctoral degree (ie a master's level in terms of training) and a 6 week nursing "residency." Half of all nurse-doctors can't pass the medical licensing exam doctors have to take, even when it is made less difficult.