Re: House passes Medicare bill but obstacles remain
From: Gordon Goldman (obgyndoc@swbell.net)
Thu Jun 26 16:43:40 2008
this whole thing is a bunch of crap. For the past dozen years or
more, we annually get into this payment thing, expend outrageous
financial resources and consider it a victory that we get a 0.5-1.1%
payment increase while our overhead expenses rise 10-15%!!!! IMHO,
AMA, ACOG and the rest of them should step back and let the market
place play out. When doctors cannot afford to see Medicare patients
they will quit practice and pursue other more financially rewarding
endeavors. With physician shortage and not accepting Medicare,
patients will have pay privately or not have access at all. Then the
legislators will fix the system immediately, equitably and permanently.
As Art says, just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Gordon
On Jun 26, 2008, at 3:46 PM, Joe wrote:
> how about free health care, an outrageous pension and the ability
> to be deaf to our real needs? Joe C
>> Why doesn't Congress have to work til 7/3 and go back to work on
>> 7/7 like the rest of us working folks? Stupid question, I guess,
>> but I sure would like to get a week and a half off for a one-day
>> holiday.
>>
>> Anna Meenan
>>
>>> First, the good news: The House voted 355 to 59 this week in
>>> favor of legislation that would eliminate the proposed 10.6%
>>> reduction in Medicare payments for 18 months. However, there are
>>> still a few obstacles to enacting the legislation. The bill now
>>> goes to the Senate where the vote is expected to be much tighter.
>>> And if it passes in its current form, the White House has
>>> threatened a veto because the bill includes cuts to Medicare
>>> Advantage. The Senate is scheduled to vote later today, but if
>>> legislation isn't passed by the end of this week, the cut will go
>>> into effect and the Senate won't reconvene until July 9 because
>>> of the Independence Day recess. [Read More] <http://
>>> http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=214191>
>>> Wednesday, June 25, 2008; Page A03
>>> By a surprisingly large bipartisan margin, the House voted
>>> yesterday to postpone a planned cut in payments to physicians who
>>> treat Medicare <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/
>>> Medicare?tid=informline> patients by approving a reduction in
>>> payouts to private insurers.
>>> The House approved legislation, on a 355 to 59 vote, that
>>> forestalls a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors and
>>> hospitals for 18 months. Democrats warned that such a decrease
>>> would lead to many physicians opting out of treating Medicare
>>> patients.
>>> "If we fail to enact this legislation, physicians will face a 10
>>> percent pay cut that jeopardizes access to care for seniors and
>>> the disabled," said Rep. John D. Dingell <http://
>>> projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/d000355/> (D-Mich.),
>>> chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which helped
>>> write the bill. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/
>>> U.S.+House+Committee+on+Energy+and+Commerce?tid=informline>
>>> The battle now shifts to the Senate, where it may be more closely
>>> fought.
>>> The White House has threatened to veto the bill because it
>>> includes payment reductions to Medicare Advantage, the program
>>> under which some seniors use a private, fee-for-service insurer
>>> instead of Medicare for their health coverage. <http://
>>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/The+White+House?
>>> tid=informline>
>>> According to White House statements, a drop in payments to those
>>> insurers would result in reduced services and benefits,
>>> particularly for elderly patients in rural areas.
>>> Democrats said private insurers receive too much money. The
>>> legislation approved yesterday could result in $14 billion less
>>> for them over five years, though an estimate by a conservative
>>> House Republican caucus put the tally at $47.5 billion over 11
>>> years. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/U.S.
>>> +Republican+Party?tid=informline>
>>> The bill has broad support from the American Medical Association,
>>> which regularly sought and received prior postponements of
>>> planned cuts in Medicare payments to doctors. <http://
>>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/American+Medical
>>> +Association?tid=informline>
>>> It was considered under a fast-track provision that required a
>>> two-thirds majority for passage. House Republican leaders had
>>> hoped to hold enough of their members to kill the measure and
>>> allow for continued bipartisan negotiations in the Senate, where
>>> the reduced payments to private insurers were not under
>>> consideration.
>>> Antonia Ferrier, spokeswoman for Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the
>>> House minority whip, said that "our members wanted to go home
>>> having voted for a measure that would ensure that physicians are
>>> fairly reimbursed by Medicare. Sadly, House Democrats would
>>> neither back down nor commit to finding a way to get a reasonable
>>> compromise." <http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/
>>> b000575/>
>>> Instead, with less than a week until the reduced payments to
>>> doctors are scheduled to take effect, a majority of Republicans,
>>> 129, supported the plan.
>>>
>>> Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said yesterday he
>>> will bring the House version to a vote this week. <http://
>>> projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/r000146/>
>>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/
>>> AR2008062400970.html?wpisrc=newsletter
>>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/
>>> AR2008062400970.html?wpisrc=newsletter>
>>>
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> ----
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
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>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
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