Posted on 08/20/2012 4:50:47 AM PDT by NCjim
There are 600,000 physicians in America who care for the 48 million seniors on Medicare. Of the $716 billion that the Affordable Care Act cuts from the program over the next ten years, the largest chunk—$415 billion—comes from slashing Medicare’s reimbursement rates to doctors, hospitals, and nursing homes. This significant reduction in fees is driving many doctors to stop accepting new Medicare patients, making it harder for seniors to gain access to needed care. Here are a few of their stories.
Paul Wertsch is a primary physician in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1977, he and his two partners invested $500,000 of their own money and opened their own practice, the Wildwood Family Clinic, on the east side of town. Wertsch’s clinic is popular with the seniors who go there, but over time, Medicare’s fee schedule has made it harder and harder on the practice.
Wertsch billed Medicare $217 to care for a Medicare patient with a sinus infection whose appointment ran late, because the patient required more time. Medicare reimbursed the clinic for $54.38. Later in the day, a younger patient with the same sinus infection, requiring half the time, was charged the same $217. But his private insurer reimbursed the clinic for twice the amount of Medicare: $108.04.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
I’ve been seeing notices in some doctors offices stating that due to costs Medicare is no longer accepted.
Correction: Will Drive AMERICAN Doctors Out of Medicine!
Medical service will be limited to Concierge medicine or get in line and pray for the Government program.
Just Like most Communist and Socalist countries that who gets Health Care
The King’s goal is to lower America’s health care system to sub-3rd world standards while doubling or tripling the cost for it.
Never mind Obamugabe and his DESTRUCTION of America; did you hear about the 5 term Congressman from Missouri had a GAFFE?!?
THOSE GAFFES ARE WHAT IS IMPORTANT! (off conservatives who get pushed around mode)
Correction: Will Drive AMERICAN Doctors Out of Medicine!
Yup. To make up the difference we will be forced to import doctors and nurses who can barely speak or understand or read English.
Problem is if politicians promise everyone ice cream and a pony, there might not be enough ice cream or ponies to go around.
So now, Obamanistas, what?
Spoke with a relative whose a practicing physician over the weekend. He made the point that incuring $500,000 debt on medical education made no financial sense.
His recommendation to a niece was “become a nurse rather than a doctor. It’s less expensive to get there and the return is faster.”
Obamacare: If the “death panels” don’t get you—the “doctor shortage” will.
Close, but wrong. Doctors will be replaced with lower level “ Health Care Providers”, ie Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners. That’s the real plan.
Just like Britain, import more Muslim doctors from Pakistan,India and Africa.They work cheap and won’t deliver any expensive treatment or tests for those white devil infidels.
Actually, they’re refusing to accept new Medicare patients because of the reimbursement rates. POS like Obama and the other no tale Demonic Party a$$ clowns plan on “reducing costs” by screwing over the providers (and have been for some time), which of course will lead to shortages in the supply of providers. Behold... communism; it fails every time its tried.
Anyone who says cutting $700 Billion in payments to Medicare providers won’t result in reduced care for Medicare patients is a liar, and anyone who believes it is an idiot.
Not only do the imported doctors bring translation problems, many are muslim and are frequently dismissive of their women patients. My daughter’s husband is in the Navy. Many of their doctors are muslims (go figure). She frequently tells me how the doctors don’t even let her finish her sentences before they cut her off. How can a doctor treat a patient when he doesn’t even allow that patient to explain their symptoms or the symptoms of their children?
The word I am hearing is that some doctors are fleeing to Alaska, thats correct, why?
Alaskan doctors charge nearly three times the going rates for most procedures, also Alaska has opted out of Obamacare.
No Obamacare for Alaska, the native hospitals are bigger and more funded than the white peoples fix-it clinics, there is a lot of military retirees here and not much of any typical ghetto except for a neighborhood in Anchorage and most of the Mat-Su Valley trash, but then I’m one of the Valley Trashers.
But in Alaska they have a Office of Childrens Services, which has the power to take away your wages, your property, your drivers license and to deny your application for a passport thus keeping you a prisoner.
>>>Close, but wrong. Doctors will be replaced with lower level “ Health Care Providers”, ie Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners. That’s the real plan.<<<<
This is the plan, gets the Dr out of the decision making process and allows more streamlined management of costs and provided services. It is flow-chart medicine, and it really sux.
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