Senate may raise physicians’ Medicare payment fees- (a carrot for the PO?)

A number of Dems that represent rural states/districts have opposed the public option specifically one tied to Medicare, because they say the current formula screws over their doctors and hospitals. Kent Conrad voiced this very concern during the markup I wonder if this is the thing that could put the public option over the hump?




The Senate is poised to take action on a costly bill to hike Medicare payments to physicians just weeks before bringing a sweeping healthcare overhaul to the floor.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday morning quietly set in motion legislation that could cost more than $200 billion over 10 years – without cuts or revenue to offset the spending -- on a separate track from a larger healthcare bill that President Barack Obama and Senate Democratic leaders have vowed would not add to the budget deficit.

“This is a bill that would permanently change the payment system for physicians to a fairer system,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said on the Senate floor as she introduced the bill Tuesday evening. “It does have a cost to it,” she acknowledged.

Next year, without congressional intervention, Medicare’s fees to physicians would drop by 21 percent. In addition to their desire to prevent those cuts, Democrats are eager to win the support of physicians for healthcare reform. The American Medical Association (AMA) has already endorsed the House healthcare reform bill, which contains a $245 billion payment fix.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/63141-senate-eyes-hike-to-physicians-medicare-fees-

Is that how Baucus made his bill cheaper?

which funds subsidies for mandated insurance with $400 billion in cuts from Medicare. Looks like they're going to take $400 billion with the right hand and give back $200 billion with the left. Interesting sleight of hand.

Opens the door for better PO. Basically it replaces mandates with this would be the same thing without the health insurance agency making the higher wage though.

Right now, he's complaining that doctors in N. Dakota are being shafted by Medicare, and if the PO reimbursements are based on Medicare, he'll vote against it.

The reimbursements are a real problem - doctors really should be getting paid more for their services, and that's an easily fixable problem.

I say fix it, raise the reimbursements, restructure these payments, then dare Conrad to find another excuse to oppose the bill once it comes up for a floor vote...