Posted on 11/30/2012 11:33:19 AM PST by Starman417
Each year, Congress holds a sword of Damocles over the heads of the medical profession. The "doc fix" is a budget adjustment to bring Medicare fees into the world of reality. democrats love to omit it for the sake of appearances.
Obamacare cuts $716 billion from Medicare. Obama calls it "waste." Physicians call it reimbursement. What that will do is make finding Medicare providers far more difficult.
The AMA supported Obamacare, on the promise that the law would include a permanent “doc fix.” But Democrats reneged on that promise, owing to the cost of a permanent SGR adjustment: something on the order of $200 billion over ten years, depending on the prescribed growth rate of the fees.Instead, the Affordable Care Act further reduced fees to health care providers, by $415 billion over the 2013-2022 time frame. As these reductions go into effect, more and more physicians are certain to stop taking new Medicare patients. We already see this problem with the Medicaid program for low-income Americans, where doctors don’t accept Medicaid patients, leading to poor health outcomes.
The Obama campaign offers several lame defenses of these cuts. “The President’s plan doesn’t cut [benefits] by one dime,” insists deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter. “He ends taxpayer subsidies to insurance companies, and weeds out waste, fraud, and abuse, which saves the Medicare system $716 billion.”
But Cutter’s assertion the law doesn’t cut benefits only makes sense if you don’t count getting a doctor’s appointment as a “benefit.” And her argument that the provider cuts merely amount to eliminating “waste, fraud and abuse” displays a callous disregard for how the law’s blunt, across-the-board payment reductions affect doctors like Joseph Shanahan, and seniors like Beverly Frake.
About that "free" exam Obama promised you:
If you are here for that annual exam, you will not be covered if you want to discuss any new ailment or unstable condition. I cannot bait and switch to another code — that’s illegal. We, the physicians, are audited all the time and can lose our license for insurance fraud.You, the patient, will then have to make a decision.
Do you want your “free” yearly exam, or do you want to pay for a visit which is coded for a particular, new problem? You can have my “free” exam if you only discuss what Obamacare wants me to discuss.
This happened to me personally, as a patient, when I went for my physical. It is the law. If you are complaining of a new problem, then you have to reschedule, since Obamacare is very clear as to what is covered and what is not. Obamacare — intentionally — makes it as difficult to be seen and taken care of as possible.
Patients can be very tricky. I have had patients make an “annual” exam, only to want to discuss and be treated for another ailment. I can’t do it.
I can hear the complaints from you guys already — I become the bad guy. “Why don’t you just take care of the problem, and not bill out any different code? You’re a rich doctor, and we are entitled to free stuff.”
It doesn’t work that way. First, doctors are not rich and, like most of you, actually work terribly hard for a living. Second, Obamacare is the law — and as I said earlier, we are audited all the time now.
Also — I don’t ask for free gas when I go to the gas station, or ask for free food from the supermarket. Additionally, Obamacare has a 23% cut in Medicare reimbursement to doctors and hospitals.
These lower payments won’t cover the cost of staying in practice to take care of the patient.
Sound goofy? You ain't heard nuthin' yet:
(excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net...
bfl
markbook
lol
That is just insane
bfl
Don’t believe the crap people are posting in this and other threads. Treatment for the “new” condition will be covered, but at another appointment. If the situation is urgent the new appointment might immediately follow the first appointment (like 1:00 PM => 1:30 PM), or you could even be referred directly to the hospital where it will be covered or to a specialist. I hate Obamacare as much as anybody especially since I am 55+ but people are posting ungrounded opinions, or, at worst, lies.
OK...here’s my recent example....16 years ago I had a colonoscopy....had 2 polyps....have had 2 colonoscopy’s since...no polyps....scheduled another colonoscopy for this week (6 years since the last one)....in the pre-prep insurance work, they told us....BECAUSE you had previously had polyps 16 years ago....it will NOT be considered PREVENTIVE....and therefore you will be charged the NORMAL type of charges...my husband had his “preventive” colonscopy a couple years ago (never had polyps)...and he paid NOTHING....if you think Obamacare is going to be BETTER than what we have now...you are living in lala land...
And, furthermore, I believe those over the age of 70 probably will be told they are not eligible for colonoscopy (or other services)...because the money won’t be there....
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