LTTE from a local (Repub) doctor on medicare cuts

I left a comment thanking him for pointing out the consequences of the tax cuts 2000-2008.

I'll edit...it was well over 1000 words...someone was pissed!

Two weeks ago the Mayo Clinic shocked the nation when it closed the doors of one of its Arizona clinics to patients on Medicare. Just this past June President Obama himself praised Mayo as a model of medical efficiency noting that Mayo gives “the highest quality care at costs well below the national norm.” If Mayo feels compelled to walk away from this government-run program, others will surely follow. The nation must understand why.

Doctors are leaving Medicare for two reasons: one obvious, the other more concealed.

The first is simple—the math:

1) For the past decade Medicare consistently paid physicians 20 percent less than traditional insurance companies for identical service.
) On Jan. 1, Washington made hidden cuts to Medicare by altering its billing codes. No longer will Medicare pay a consulting physician for their additional expertise.
3) Medicare will cut physician reimbursement by another 21 percent on March 1.
4) Even more, Congress pledged to cut Medicare by yet another $500 billion

The second is more ominous —Washington’s increasingly abusive posture toward physicians.

President Obama reflected this attitude last summer. On national television, he stated as fact a surgeon is paid between $30,000 and $50,000 for amputating a patient’s foot.
In reality, a surgeon is paid between $740 and $1,140 to perform this unfortunate, but often life-saving procedure
Given massive federal deficits, Washington now faces increasing pressure to cut Medicare spending. One way to do this is to intimidate physicians into under-billing.
Given massive federal deficits, Washington now faces increasing pressure to cut Medicare spending. One way to do this is to intimidate physicians into under-billing. To do this Washington intends to spend taxpayer dollars to ramp up physician audits using Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC audits) to randomly investigate private physician’s Medicare billing.

A physician group at my hospital recently experienced an AdvanceMed audit, an earlier version of the RAC. For a year Medicare auditors made their practice a living hell, making them question if it was worth caring for Medicare patients at all.
http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2010/02/07/opinion/doc4b6e634d1b219372825910.txt


welcome to Hell,Dr.Kingsley.Maybe you will get behind universal health care.(although I doubt it)