The lame duck session of Congress seems likely to be packed with big contentious issues, but there is one fix that is vital for all seniors, and that is the Medicare Doctor’s Fix.   Doctors get paid set fees for Medicare work , but unfortunately, the rates established by Congress 10 years ago are too low to cover doctors costs and so every year for the past 10 years, Congress has passed a one year quick fix to block these too low rates and to set reasonable rates for that year.  We now need to have that happen again.
39 million seniors depend on Medicare, and if we don’t get Congress to act on this fix before Jan 1st, then many many doctors will be driven out of the Medicare system next year because rates will be below costs.  Please contact your Congress people and urge them to act on the Medicare Doctors Fix.
16:53, 27.11.2010
Unless action is taken there will be a 25% reduction in payments to physicians for Medicare services already rendered. This will be the 4th time this year that Medicare has delayed payments to all physicians in the US. So far it has been for about two weeks each time. The threat is that the payment will be 25% less and permanent. Every lawmaker knows that this would create chaos, but they are unwilling to vote for a solution – granted their procrastination now has the bill at >200 billion that has to be found somewhere. Nevertheless a solutions MUST be found. More and more physicians are opting not to see Medicare patients on a participating ie, little hassle and defined cost to the patient. As a physician there is little incentive to deal with a system that withholds payments, and when it does pay it is at the bottom of the scale.
Everyone should put pressure on their elected representative to find a fix.
L M Garges, MD
ps- if doctors leave the rural areas the impact is much greater.