Posted on 10/24/2009 8:18:18 AM PDT by Son House
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., center, flanked Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., left, and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., discuss "the urgent need for health insurance reform". GRAND RAPIDS — Senior citizens will find it harder to find a doctor who accepts Medicare if Congress does not stop a 21.5 percent cut in payment rates, say physicians and hospitals.
“We might as well start building bigger emergency rooms, because that’s where people will be if they don’t have access to a regular physician,” said Micki Benz, vice president of development for Saint Mary’s Health Care. “In the end, people’s care will suffer, and we will all end up paying more.”
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, failed to get the needed votes Wednesday for legislation she sponsored that would prevent the rate reduction and eliminate the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula.
Lawmakers agree the formula, devised to keep Medicare spending in check, is flawed. But those who opposed Stabenow’s bill say they could not support the almost $250 billion price tag it carries over 10 years. The slash in physician payments is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. The annual ritual has been a last-minute scramble to prevent deep cuts, usually settling for a one-year fix instead of reform.
Annual uncertainty
Last year, lawmakers kept a 10.6 percent pay cut from being imposed. But physicians say they need a permanent solution, not the annual uncertainty.
“With a 21 percent cut, you either have to see 21 percent more people to cover the difference or you can’t accept any or as many Medicare patients,” said Dr. Michael Berneking, with Concentra Medical Center. “If you continue to cut, something has to give.”
The impact of a cut will vary depending on how many Medicare patients, most of whom are elderly, a physician serves.
A deteriorating system
Dr. David Blair, president of Advantage Health Physician Network, said Medicare is already a below-average payer to primary care.
He said the planned federal rate cut — along with a 3 percent tax on Medicaid that Michigan lawmakers are considering — will only accelerate the deterioration of primary care practices.
“Fundamental reform is necessary,” Blair said.
“It is estimated 70 percent of U.S. health care spending is around failed chronic disease management.”
Lori Heim, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said people should be concerned about limiting health care access to Medicare beneficiaries. She said it was shortsighted of lawmakers to oppose Stabenow’s bill.
“People without a regular physician die earlier,” Heim said. “We have to move away from a volume-based health-care system to one that’s outcomes and quality based.”
The liberals actually believe that the way you reduce costs is to simply pay less without taking into consideration the doctors’ or hospitals’ expenses.
"We might as well start building bigger emergency rooms, because that's where people will be if they don't have access to a regular physician," said Micki Benz, vice president of development for Saint Mary's Health Care... Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, failed to get the needed votes Wednesday for legislation she sponsored that would prevent the rate reduction and eliminate the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula.
“People without a regular physician die earlier,” Heim said.
This last line sounds like their goal. Get everyone to not have a doctor, die early, less medicare spending, and social security stops. Great plan! /s
This is not good news for western Pennsylvania with our high number of Medicare recipients and ER’s closing up in Aliquippa and the South Side within the past year and Braddock’s closing up this winter.
That about says it all!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus
Our doctor told my husband that nObama’s health care will be “good for us and good for him”. I was shocked and I am looking for a new doctor. One of his associates used the phrase “the last 8 years”. that told me all I needed to know about her.
They loved dabbling in radical politics and spouting slogans like “the rights of man”, and “Liberty”.
A few years later they either made a one way trip to the guillotine or were in exile.
These Drs represent the same imbecilic mindset those French Aristocrats had.
By 2014, five years from now, 45% of all Medicare expenditures will come from the General Fund. The HI Trust Fund (Medicare Part A) is already cashing in its T-bills to make up the shortfall in expenses versus revenue and by law, 75% of all Medicare Parts B and D expenditures must come from the General Fund. By 2030, one in five Americans will be 65 or older or twice the number today. Medicare is unsustainable.
THESE TURDS WILL SAY ANYTHING!
Lori Heim is a hospitalist on staff at the small community hospital in Laurinburg, NC, where I practice. She has a “Veterans for Obama” sticker on her car, and gave a speech at a recent staff meeting touting Obamacare. The sad thing is that some of the other family practice doctors agree with her, because, apparently, they are being promised that the difference in compensation between primary physicians and specialists will be rectified. Wait until they realize that that goal will be accomplished through raping the specialists rather than increasing the pay to primary care docs.
Then the lawyers destroyed the OB part of their practices.
Regional and small rural hospitals were shut down in favor of concentrating on mega-hospitals, which were arguably of higher quality. This reduced the status of the community physician severely.
The rise of "hospitalists" relieved family phys of their hospital duties. Patients needing admission are now told to "go to the emergency room" to be worked up, and turned over to a strange doctor that works only in and for the hospital.
Trying to have a varied family practice, in general, opens the gen practioner to more liability. They become de facto specialists with no status..the doc who does the nursing homes, the pediatrician of second resort.
The final nail on the coffin is the rise of the professional Physician's Assistant. While a green PA is not much good, one with long-term experience is every bit as good as a family physician. So the FP gets knocked in the head again...
If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.
In addition, there has been an ever intensified, draconian federal criminal enforcement apparatus seeking to charge, try and convict medical providers at the slightest hint of Medicare billing "fraud," which may involve even unintentional billing errors or errors made by a secretary in the office.
The Medicare program seemed to treat "providers" reasonably well at its outset, but, like any government Ponzi scheme, when the well runs dry, the last ones in are hurt. This year, the outrageous government budget deficits caused in large part by "stimulus" and bailouts, can be used as a convenient excuse to deny Medicare payments even more.
We are already seeing a trend in physicians and other health professionals dropping out of the Medicare program or retiring altogether. Expect this to accelerate sharply with the current doings in Washington. The end result is that folks on Medicare will continue to suffer a significant decrease in physician choices and quality of care.
Most of the good doctors I’ve called, won’t touch Medicare recipients. After this, we’ll only get voodoo doctors from some hell hole other than America.
Great. Now I have to shop around for a new doctor.
Mrs. Prince of Space
Be sure to tell the witch doctor why you’re leaving. Wish her good luck when she makes $5 an hour in the future. Ask if her Fuhrer will be supplying her welfare.
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