In reading the CMS report that I wrote on previously I thought it worth while to list a specific quote from page 8.
"Over time, a sustained reduction in payment updates, based on productivity expectations that are difficult to attain, would cause Medicare payment rates to grow more slowly than, and in a way that was unrelated to, the provider's costs of furnishing services to beneficiaries. Thus, providers for whom Medicare constitutes a substantive portion of their business could find it difficult to remain profitable and might end their participation in the program ... jeopardizing access to care for beneficiaries. While this policy could be monitored over time to avoid such an outcome, so doing would likely result in significantly smaller actual savings than shown here for these provisions."
Does anyone ever read these documents. What this is saying is the following:
1. These numbers make no economic sense. Physicians have costs, they are not charitable institutions. They have spent hundreds of thousands getting educated. That money has to be repaid. They spend tens of thousands on insurance. That must be paid. They spend hundreds of thousand annually on staff and overhead. That must be paid. Who pays this?
2. This then is clearly a political game to shift costs. It does not reflect any reality.
3. Medicare beneficiaries who paid more than they ever will get back will again be taxed by the Government and left to whither on the vine.
4. Medicare practitioners may end up being those who could find patients no where else. In fact they may have poorer quality of care.
One hopes that someone in Congress is reading this!
"Over time, a sustained reduction in payment updates, based on productivity expectations that are difficult to attain, would cause Medicare payment rates to grow more slowly than, and in a way that was unrelated to, the provider's costs of furnishing services to beneficiaries. Thus, providers for whom Medicare constitutes a substantive portion of their business could find it difficult to remain profitable and might end their participation in the program ... jeopardizing access to care for beneficiaries. While this policy could be monitored over time to avoid such an outcome, so doing would likely result in significantly smaller actual savings than shown here for these provisions."
Does anyone ever read these documents. What this is saying is the following:
1. These numbers make no economic sense. Physicians have costs, they are not charitable institutions. They have spent hundreds of thousands getting educated. That money has to be repaid. They spend tens of thousands on insurance. That must be paid. They spend hundreds of thousand annually on staff and overhead. That must be paid. Who pays this?
2. This then is clearly a political game to shift costs. It does not reflect any reality.
3. Medicare beneficiaries who paid more than they ever will get back will again be taxed by the Government and left to whither on the vine.
4. Medicare practitioners may end up being those who could find patients no where else. In fact they may have poorer quality of care.
One hopes that someone in Congress is reading this!
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