Cutting Doctor Reimbursements
Congress is considering a 23% reduction in the reimbursement to physicians who render medical treatment to Medicare patients. Will doctors accept this type of reduction?
There is concern that the doctors will simply refuse to treat Medicare patients if they are not paid a reasonable fee. This will force Medicare patients to try to find new doctors to treat them.
Slowing Health Care Inflationary Expenses
The best way to stop the inflationary increases of government health care programs is to reduce the rising cost of health care. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 was designed to reduce Medicare expenses; however, it has not worked. This statute attempted to reduce spending for physician services. It did not take into consideration the growth in volume and complexity of services provided by physicians. It also did not change the “fee for service system”. This system provides greater incentive for doctors to do more procedures for their patients. The statute didn’t determine which procedures will most effectively cut costs!
Reforming Medicare
The best way to reform Medicare is to establish cost control measures utilizing less-expensive alternative medical care procedures. Medicare must be redesigned to move towards a system that rewards medical providers for the quality of the care that is provided, not the quantity that is provided. Medicare costs are a hot political potato. They need to be dealt with. The continuing spiraling costs of Medicare will eventually bankrupt the system. Medicare must be saved!
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