Comments on: Hope for the impending Medicare cuts? http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/07/hope-for-impending-medicare-cuts.html medical blog Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:00:04 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: TXMed http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/07/hope-for-impending-medicare-cuts.html/comment-page-1#comment-65462 TXMed Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:11:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/07/hope-for-the-impending-medicare-cuts.html#comment-65462 I am a strong advocate for SGR reforms and oppose any fee reduction under Medicare. But I don't buy this physician argument that Medicare, with more cuts, is going to become like Medicaid - where a pregnant woman may really have trouble finding a physician who will take her Medicaid insurance.<br/><br/>I say this because Medicare's coverage is only growing. I know we always talk about physician shortages, but looking at the data these are really regional deficiencies. In many parts of the country the opposite is actually true. Medicare coverage accounts for too large a percentage of the patient population for physicians en masse to flee the program (no matter how bad reimbursement gets).<br/><br/>Sure, the roster of physicians refusing to take on Medicare patients will increase with fee cuts, and that'll cause some inconvience to some Medicare patients. But I don't see how it's possible that enough physicians can forgo these patients so that it will ever get to a level where most Medicare patients are significantly disadvantaged in terms of finding a physician within their area.<br/><br/>I'm not sure healthcare providers have anywhere near the leverage they claim to have in blogs and op/eds, when they predict dire consequences with Medicare reimbursement cuts. In many areas of the country there are simply too many physicians for the commercially insured patients. I am a strong advocate for SGR reforms and oppose any fee reduction under Medicare. But I don’t buy this physician argument that Medicare, with more cuts, is going to become like Medicaid – where a pregnant woman may really have trouble finding a physician who will take her Medicaid insurance.

I say this because Medicare’s coverage is only growing. I know we always talk about physician shortages, but looking at the data these are really regional deficiencies. In many parts of the country the opposite is actually true. Medicare coverage accounts for too large a percentage of the patient population for physicians en masse to flee the program (no matter how bad reimbursement gets).

Sure, the roster of physicians refusing to take on Medicare patients will increase with fee cuts, and that’ll cause some inconvience to some Medicare patients. But I don’t see how it’s possible that enough physicians can forgo these patients so that it will ever get to a level where most Medicare patients are significantly disadvantaged in terms of finding a physician within their area.

I’m not sure healthcare providers have anywhere near the leverage they claim to have in blogs and op/eds, when they predict dire consequences with Medicare reimbursement cuts. In many areas of the country there are simply too many physicians for the commercially insured patients.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/07/hope-for-impending-medicare-cuts.html/comment-page-1#comment-65460 Anonymous Wed, 26 Jul 2006 19:49:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/07/hope-for-the-impending-medicare-cuts.html#comment-65460 sigh...<br/>Can't tell the difference between a fee cut and a fee increase?<br/><br/>How much healthcare is spent on docs? Get back to me when you know the answer sigh…
Can’t tell the difference between a fee cut and a fee increase?

How much healthcare is spent on docs? Get back to me when you know the answer

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/07/hope-for-impending-medicare-cuts.html/comment-page-1#comment-65455 Anonymous Wed, 26 Jul 2006 17:25:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/07/hope-for-the-impending-medicare-cuts.html#comment-65455 Sigh....<br/><br/>More taxpayer dollars to enrich the MDieties. Sigh….

More taxpayer dollars to enrich the MDieties.

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