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Log inMedicare gridlock looms
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Medicare gridlock looms
by Outspoken on Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:10 am
Medicare gridlock looms
By Mal Leary
Capitol News Service
Bangor Daily News
AUGUSTA, Maine - Because the U.S. Senate has failed to block a decrease of more than 10 percent in Medicare payments to doctors, Maine senior citizens on the federal program could have difficulty finding a physician and doctors face the loss of $50 million over the next 18 months.
"If this doesn’t get fixed, it has huge ramifications for Maine," Gordon Smith, vice president of the Maine Medical Association, said Monday. "It would be catastrophic. We already have a shortage of physicians; we are looking for 237 doctors to fill vacancies now. Many Maine physicians just would feel that they can’t afford to see Medicare patients if they are going to take a cut of that magnitude."
While the average cut nationally is 10.6 percent, it will have a greater impact on Maine doctors because of the high number of seniors living in the state, the highest percentage in the country, and because of the complexities of the Medicare reimbursement formula.
Smith said that in York and Cumberland counties, doctors were cut 11.8 percent on July 1, but in the remaining 14 counties the cut was more than 12 percent. The cuts were part of legislation passed last year that were supposed to be "fixed" before they took effect.
There are reports of some specialists in other states refusing to accept any more Medicare patients after the cuts took effect, and Smith expects some Maine doctors will take that step if the gridlock in the Senate continues.
"It will happen in some specialties," he said. "They can’t afford to take any more patients."
While there were ads by the American Medical Association in other states over the holiday weekend urging Congress to resolve the problem, Smith said no ads ran in Maine because all members of the congressional delegation have supported legislation that not only would block the decrease in rates but also would increase them by 1.1 percent on Jan. 1, 2009.
"Our delegation has worked hard to resolve this, but the Senate fell short," he said.
The House passed legislation last month by a vote of 355-59, with Democratic Reps. Tom Allen of the 1st District and Michael Michaud of the 2nd District both supporting the measure. Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins also have supported attempts to pass the measure.
"It’s caught up in excessive partisanship," Smith said. "It is a shame to see that the right thing can’t get done even when everybody agrees this cut is inherently unfair and shouldn’t happen."
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=166801&zoneid=500
By Mal Leary
Capitol News Service
Bangor Daily News
AUGUSTA, Maine - Because the U.S. Senate has failed to block a decrease of more than 10 percent in Medicare payments to doctors, Maine senior citizens on the federal program could have difficulty finding a physician and doctors face the loss of $50 million over the next 18 months.
"If this doesn’t get fixed, it has huge ramifications for Maine," Gordon Smith, vice president of the Maine Medical Association, said Monday. "It would be catastrophic. We already have a shortage of physicians; we are looking for 237 doctors to fill vacancies now. Many Maine physicians just would feel that they can’t afford to see Medicare patients if they are going to take a cut of that magnitude."
While the average cut nationally is 10.6 percent, it will have a greater impact on Maine doctors because of the high number of seniors living in the state, the highest percentage in the country, and because of the complexities of the Medicare reimbursement formula.
Smith said that in York and Cumberland counties, doctors were cut 11.8 percent on July 1, but in the remaining 14 counties the cut was more than 12 percent. The cuts were part of legislation passed last year that were supposed to be "fixed" before they took effect.
There are reports of some specialists in other states refusing to accept any more Medicare patients after the cuts took effect, and Smith expects some Maine doctors will take that step if the gridlock in the Senate continues.
"It will happen in some specialties," he said. "They can’t afford to take any more patients."
While there were ads by the American Medical Association in other states over the holiday weekend urging Congress to resolve the problem, Smith said no ads ran in Maine because all members of the congressional delegation have supported legislation that not only would block the decrease in rates but also would increase them by 1.1 percent on Jan. 1, 2009.
"Our delegation has worked hard to resolve this, but the Senate fell short," he said.
The House passed legislation last month by a vote of 355-59, with Democratic Reps. Tom Allen of the 1st District and Michael Michaud of the 2nd District both supporting the measure. Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins also have supported attempts to pass the measure.
"It’s caught up in excessive partisanship," Smith said. "It is a shame to see that the right thing can’t get done even when everybody agrees this cut is inherently unfair and shouldn’t happen."
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=166801&zoneid=500
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