Doctors on edge as Congress again goes to the brink to hold off Medicare fee cuts
By Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, APThursday, May 27, 2010
Uncertainty over Medicare pay sets doctors on edge
WASHINGTON — For the third time this year, Congress is scrambling to stave off a hefty pay cut to doctors treating Medicare patients.
The 21.3 percent cut will take effect June 1 unless Congress intervenes. Recurring uncertainty over Medicare fees is making doctors take a hard look at their participation in the program.
If the problem is allowed to fester, it could undermine key goals of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, which envisions using Medicare to test ideas for improving the quality of care for all Americans.
Doubts about Medicare’s stability can also create political problems for Democrats in the fall elections, since polls show seniors are worried about the impact of the remake on their own care.
Tags: Barack Obama, Government Programs, Government Regulations, Government-funded Health Insurance, Health Care Reform, Industry Regulation, North America, Personal Finance, Personal Insurance, Personal Spending, Political Issues, Seniors, Seniors' Health, United States, Washington
