It never works to save money. This will lead to an increase in the volume of procedures, further driving up health care costs:
When physician fees are capped, the number and complexity (or volume and intensity) of services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries simply increase, including more frequent and intensive office visits, and a rapid increase in the use of imaging techniques, laboratory services, and physician-administered drugs, which will lead to price caps on pills and procedures in fairly short order. (According to a study by the World Bank, for every dollar that price controls reduce doctors’ fees under Medicare, physicians recoup 40 cents by increasing volume.)