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Health News
Docs troubled by big Medicare payment cuts
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct 27, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Some U.S. doctors who mostly
treat elderly patients say they are troubled by a proposed 21 percent Medicare
reimbursement cut.
Kansas City, Mo., physicians interviewed by CNNMoney.com told the Web site that
a boycott against accepting new Medicare patients has already begun in the city
because of fears the reimbursement cuts would lead to operating losses.
Dr. David Wilt, an internist with Kansas City Internal Medicine, said that most
physicians in the city have already instituted such a policy, saying, "If the
(21 percent) cut happens, that cut in our payments will exceed our profits. The
only option to us to stay in business will be to fire employees."
The cuts are scheduled to take place in 2010, and the U.S. Senate voted last
week against stopping them from taking place.
"If I accept Medicare for myself and my wife, I'm fearful I won't be able to
stay with my cardiologist and my wife won't be able to stay with her
physicians," Dr. John Hagan, a Kansas City-area ophthalmologist, told
CNNMoney.com, adding that he won't be able to see any more Medicare patients
because he won't be able to cover his expenses.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright: Copyright 2009 by United Press International
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