Physicians worry about planned Medicare payment cut

Doctors are worried about a planned 10% cut in Medicare payments set to take effect Jan. 1. (Source: "Doctors see red if Medicare cuts stand," Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 16, 2007.) If Congress doesn't override the cut, there are concerns that many physicians might stop accepting Medicare patients. Dr. Elena A. Christofides, a Columbus diabetes specialist, said that in order to pay her staff a living wage and benefits, if the cut takes effect she will "charge all her patients a fee to recoup her costs, which have risen while Medicare payments have remained flat since 2002."

This is the sixth straight year in which Medicare has proposed cutting payments to physicians, although Congress has passed legislation each year to instead freeze payments. U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi said he expects the House to do the same this time. However, he doubts that the Senate will follow suit. Spokesmen for Senators George V. Voinovich and Sherrod Brown said the lawmakers are against cutting payments to doctors. The cuts result from a formula passed by Congress "that ties physician payments to the nation's economy. When it's good, payments can rise. When it's bad, payments can be frozen or cut."