Doctors limit new Medicare patients

[Chris_]

Doctors limit new Medicare patients

WASHINGTON — The number of doctors refusing new Medicare patients because of low government payment rates is setting a new high, just six months before millions of Baby Boomers begin enrolling in the government health care program.

Recent surveys by national and state medical societies have found more doctors limiting Medicare patients, partly because Congress has failed to stop an automatic 21% cut in payments that doctors already regard as too low. The cut went into effect Friday, even as the Senate approved a six-month reprieve. The House has approved a different bill.

In Illinois, 18% of doctors restrict the number of Medicare patients in their practice, according to a medical society survey.

In North Carolina, 117 doctors have opted out of Medicare since January, the state's medical society says.

In New York, about 1,100 doctors have left Medicare. Even the medical society president isn't taking new Medicare patients.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-06-20-medicare_N.htm

[Duke Nukum]

When people stop wanting  to become doctors is when it will become very bad.

[Chris_]

When people stop wanting  to become doctors is when it will become very bad.

Or worse, we'll end up with doctors that will do it for what the government is willing to pay.

[DumbAss Tanker]

The Law of Unintended Consequences at work, or more simply put, "This is what happens when you try pushing on a rope."

[thundley4]

The Law of Unintended Consequences at work, or more simply put, "This is what happens when you try pushing on a rope."

We see this happen every single time that this administration does something to "help people".  The credit card law that drove up interest rates, health care reform, and even a recent thing to limit over draft checking charges.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Yeah, for being such supposed frickin' geniuses, they seem to be remarkably slow learners.

 

[rich_t]

I certainly do not blame the doctors.

I suspect a large portion of doctors will start doing this and possibly even dropping their existing medicare patients.

[bkg]

[administration] Because doctors are being too selfish to treat patients with strong gov't healthcare, the US government is forced to nationalize all hospitals and clinics to protect our citizens... [/administration]

With the path we are down, my cynicism allows for this possibility.

[thundley4]

[administration] Because doctors are being too selfish to treat patients with strong gov't healthcare, the US government is forced to nationalize all hospitals and clinics to protect our citizens... [/administration]

With the path we are down, my cynicism allows for this possibility.

Considering that the government now has control of student loans, they could control who goes into the medical schools, and where they practice afterwards.  I had thought that part of the HCR law had something to do with the government creating some  Medical Schools also.

[Beau Geste]

Or worse, we'll end up with doctors that will do it for what the government is willing to pay.

What will happen is that the best and brightest will avoid the field like the plague and go on to greener pastures. You're also going to see an advancement of "Dr. Nurses" which will have problems of its own.

I mean no offense to any nurses on the board, but there is a reason nursing school is nursing school and medical school is medical school, and that physicians have an exorbitant amount of postgraduate training.