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Old 07-06-2008
Cato Cato is offline
Secretary of Defense

 
Member Since: Dec 2004
Location: US
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Fee Cut in Medicare

Medicare Assistance Will Soon Be Hard To Get

Quote:
The Bush administration’s announcement about the 10 percent fee cut in Medicare payments for doctors managed to cause wide distress throughout the industry. Many doctors stated that if the 10 percent payment reduction will be indeed approved, they will no longer afford to see Medicare’s patients. With the new bill, doctors would end up paying for every patient what would walk through the door instead of being awarded for their work and actually making a profit.
What will happen? Will the government take it back and fork out the extra dough? If so, how will it continue to afford the growing Medicare rolls?

Will the government leave the reduction in place? If so, what will happen when all those doctors stop seeing Medicare patients? If there is a right to healthcare, and doctors refuse to see patients, can government really be said to be protecting its citizens' rights to healthcare?

Should these doctors simply be forced to see Medicare patients, and consider themselves lucky that society allows them to practice a vocation which can lead to vast sums of wealth?
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Old 07-06-2008
daddio daddio is offline
Speaker of the House

 
Member Since: Jun 2008
Location: the south
Posts: 843

United_States     Virginia

Re: Fee Cut in Medicare

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Originally Posted by Cato View Post
Medicare Assistance Will Soon Be Hard To Get



What will happen? Will the government take it back and fork out the extra dough? If so, how will it continue to afford the growing Medicare rolls?

Will the government leave the reduction in place? If so, what will happen when all those doctors stop seeing Medicare patients? If there is a right to healthcare, and doctors refuse to see patients, can government really be said to be protecting its citizens' rights to healthcare?

Should these doctors simply be forced to see Medicare patients, and consider themselves lucky that society allows them to practice a vocation which can lead to vast sums of wealth?

The AMA moans about this every time its cut. Somehow they find a way to make a buck.

The reduction will remain. The software guys like my neighbor, will figure out how to game the system as they always do. A few docs will stop taking new Medicare patients but thats mostly just show. Its easy money.

There is no right to healthcare.

Force ? Allow ? This is America we're talking about, right ?
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Old 07-06-2008
Cato Cato is offline
Secretary of Defense

 
Member Since: Dec 2004
Location: US
Posts: 2,537

United_States    
Re: Fee Cut in Medicare

Quote:
Originally Posted by daddio View Post
The AMA moans about this every time its cut. Somehow they find a way to make a buck.

The reduction will remain. The software guys like my neighbor, will figure out how to game the system as they always do. A few docs will stop taking new Medicare patients but thats mostly just show.
Really? Do you have any links on the last time rates were cut? A friend of mine is an orthopedic surgeon. He told me he, and all the doctors he knows, will stop taking Medicare if the reduction stays.

I don't understand the software link.
Quote:
Its easy money.
How so?
Quote:
Force ? Allow ? This is America we're talking about, right ?
I sometimes wonder.
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  #4 (permalink)  
Old 07-06-2008
daddio daddio is offline
Speaker of the House

 
Member Since: Jun 2008
Location: the south
Posts: 843

United_States     Virginia

Re: Fee Cut in Medicare

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cato View Post
Really? Do you have any links on the last time rates were cut? A friend of mine is an orthopedic surgeon. He told me he, and all the doctors he knows, will stop taking Medicare if the reduction stays.

I don't understand the software link.

How so?

I sometimes wonder.


No, I don't have links but I was in the medical industry and saw it unfold real time in the 80's (its been repeated since I believe).

How it works is that on the claim the doc files he assigns code(s) to the services he performs. But there is more than one way to encode the work done. The software knows whats paid for what code and all about the various ways to code the same thing. It gins up the claim in the most profitable manner. Essentially the rate cut is negated or in some cases they get more. Bonus money for docs who invested in durable medical equipment, biggest scam in Medicare history !

Docs will get calls from software vendors, reassurance will win the day, life will go on.

Doubt it ? Have Medicare costs ever had a sustained period of down ? I kinda doubt it.
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