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Medicare reimbursement cuts loom 2010-04-15 Seniors continue to worry that Medicare's reimbursements to doctors will be slashed - a move that could make doctors less willing to take on new senior patients. The Medicare rules require that reimbursements to doctors be cut if Medicare spending exceeds a certain threshold - and that threshold, which is calculated with a complicated formula, is reached every year. Therefore, Medicare has had reimbursement reductions on the table for years, but Congress keeps suspending the reductions at the last minute. With the passage of healthcare reform - and a growing desire among lawmakers to reduce the government's share of healthcare spending - those reimbursement cuts may occur sooner rather than later. Current reimbursement rates are safe, at least: This week, MedPage Today says, Senate Democrats are close to approving a measure to push the cuts back to June 1. Even if Medicare reimbursement reductions take place, seniors will still be able to get access to primary-care services. And, thanks to the healthcare reform bill, primary-care doctors will receive 10 percent incentive payments for treating Medicare beneficiaries; mental-health doctors will receive 5 percent incentives. Ultimately, quality care will still be available to older people in the future, even if Medicare's payment structure changes.  |
