KHN column – The Medicare doc fix: Physicians again are staring into the abyss

In a Kaiser Health News column, Gail Wilensky writes: "What used to be an annual exercise -- waiting to see whether and by how much Congress would increase payments to physicians under Medicare -- has now become a more frequent and even more frustrating activity for physicians. At the end of November the latest financial 'fix' for these payments expires and, if nothing is done, physicians who see Medicare patients will face an across-the-board 23 percent reduction in their fees. If nothing happens by January, physicians would face an additional 7 percent reduction" (11/18). Read the column.