Doctors pushing hard for Medicare pay fix

The Hill: "Capitol Hill and K Street are starting to wonder if a Republican victory in the House or Senate could be good news for doctors in 2011. ... Physicians are asking for a 13-month fix to the problem, and sources say a Republican victory could create momentum for that to happen in November" (Pecquet, 10/9).

American Medical News: "Preventing a 23 percent Medicare physician payment cut is one of several major tasks Congress faces when members return Nov. 15. The American Medical Association and dozens of other medical societies are reminding lawmakers that stopping the reduction before it takes effect on Dec. 1 is crucial to keeping Medicare sustainable. ... Many physicians are uncertain about the future of Medicare in their practice, said AMA President Cecil B. Wilson, MD. The 23 percent cut is scheduled to take effect as physicians are eligible to change their Medicare participation status. 'Although these physicians are dedicated to their Medicare patients, many will be forced to consider changes, including limiting the number of Medicare patients they can accept,' he said" (Trapp, 10/11).

And for Medicare beneficiaries there are concerns too. The Associated Press reports: "As if voters don't have enough to be angry about this election year, the government is expected to announce this week that more than 58 million Social Security recipients will go through another year without an increase in their monthly benefits. ... 'I do think there's going to be political fallout,' [Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.,] said. 'Many seniors who are spending a lot of money on health care and prescription drugs really are going to find it hard to believe that there (have) been no inflationary costs to their purchasing needs,'" (Ohlemacher, 10/11).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.