Primary care doctors treating Medicaid patients to get pay boost under Obama's health care law

Associated Press ^ | May 9, 2012

[Free ThinkerNY]

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is announcing a pay raise for primary care doctors who treat low-income patients.

But it may not last long.

The boost under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is good only for the next two years, even if the Supreme Court upholds the law.

[PGR88]

The Obama administration is announcing a pay raise for primary care doctors

I wonder if doctors fully realize that somewhere along the line, they all have become Gov't employees?

[vikingd00d]

Strange. I thought it was the House that had the ‘power of the purse’. Who knew the president could just decide to spend any amount of money he wished?

[Buckeye McFrog]

Reading between the lines, doctors must be turning these patients away and telling them it’s due to Obamacare. And he wants to nip that in the bud before it becomes a campaign issue.

[q_an_a]

Healthcare is a mess - especially medicare. My 83 year old father, “died in the wool democRAT” has recently moved from Calif to SC. (long story) He is looking for a doctor,present average wait time 3 months for first appointment.

[RavenATB]

I hate to say it, but military personnel using TRICARE for off-base medical services will be happy to hear that even though they’re on the same status as a welfare recipient, at least the doctor won’t be getting screwed quite as badly.

[sportutegrl]

There is a difference between Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is for those over 65 and is paid for through payroll deductions. Medicaid is for 'poor' people like welfare recipients and illegals.

Obama is giving more money to Medicaid doctors, probably by taking it from Medicare funds.

[q_an_a]

thanks - I was aware of the difference, I should have put something like /rant off at the end of my post

[In Maryland]

"The Obama administration is announcing a pay raise for primary care doctors who treat low-income patients.

The Obama administration is trying to force everyone into Medicaid as a way to get to single-payer. Amazingly, they already published the MEDICARE Part B rates for next year and, of course, PREMIUMS WENT DOWN! (It is an election year, after all.) Hooray!

Until you look at the calculations and see that the way they got premiums down is to estimate payments to doctors under Medicare will be about 25% lower next year. So either Obama is going to heal millions of Medicare patients at his acceptance speech (LOL) or they plan to cut doctor reimbursement rates AGAIN. So doctors who treat the middle class elderly get the shaft, while those who treat the low-income population get a raise. And the sheeple on Medicare will rejoice that their rates went down - until AFTER the election when they can no longer find a doctor to accept Medicare!

How do you spell reparations?

[jonno]

Sounds like a Health-care “Reunification board” ruling.

The power of pull...

[grumpygresh]

Bait and switch. The compliance costs will always exceed any pay raise.