I urge readers to do all they can to make sure Congress reverses the proposed 9.9 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors now scheduled for July 2008. As they will recall since the sustained growth rate formula came into play in 2002, the Congress has failed to correct the problem, rather the Congress has chosen to band-aid the situation by extending the mandated cuts 12 months at a time. In December 2007 the Congress inexplicably extended the mandated cuts a mere six months.

The cuts in payments to doctors will devastate seniors’ and military beneficiaries’ access to health care by encouraging even more doctors to refuse Medicare and military TRICARE patients. Military beneficiaries are affected even more severely because TRICARE rates are capped at
Medicare’s, and in many cases even discounted below Medicare’s.

This issue is a particular problem for retirees, survivors and guard and reserve families who don’t live near military installations. In many areas, health care providers already refuse TRICARE patients. If you recall TRICARE does not have the same penalty provisions of MEDICARE.

Please do all you can to ensure Congress reverses the Medicare/TRICARE rate cuts now scheduled.

JOHNNIE F JONES
Grand Junction

This entry was posted on Monday, February 18th, 2008 at 10:28 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.