The AMA says that if changes aren't made in Congress soon, physicians' Medicare payments will be dramatically cut as of January 1, 2007. This will, in effect, force doctors to limit the acceptance of new Medicare patients.
There are more than 2.9 million Medicare and greater than 685,000 TRICARE patients just in the state of Florida who may be affected by the policy that Congress intends to enact this coming year. (TRICARE is a medical program for active duty, reserve, and retired military members and their families that ties its rates to Medicare.)
The AMA is making its house calls across the nation as Americans need to be made aware of the problem so that something can been done to fight it before it's too late.
The AMA press release reports that AMA Board Member Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD stated, "Next year's cuts are just the beginning. Medicare payments will be cut 37 percent over the next nine years, while at the same time the cost of caring for patients will rise 22 percent. Physicians are healers first and foremost and want to care for their patients. Unfortunately, cuts to Medicare will force physicians to make difficult practice decisions. Florida's seniors and military families deserve better."
Lazarus adds, "Nearly half (45 percent) of the physicians surveyed by the AMA say that next year's Medicare cut will force them to either decrease or stop seeing new Medicare patients. These are difficult decisions that physicians don't want to make. If Congress doesn't act soon, Medicare and TRICARE patients could have a hard time finding a physician."
Retired Major General Robert Lynn, a representative of the Military Officers Association of America, said, "Medicare physician payment cuts pose a health care threat to more than nine million military members and their families nationwide. Reducing payment rates even further will have a devastating effect on access to care for thousands of military beneficiaries, who already find it difficult to locate physicians who accept TRICARE. When our men and women in uniform are sent in harm's way, the last thing they need to worry about it is whether their families will be able to find a TRICARE physician."
Doctor Lazarus adds, "In just five years, the first wave of baby boomers will age into Medicare when they turn 65. Congress needs to take a long, hard look at the future of Medicare and take action to preserve access to care for this generation of seniors-and those to come."
To obtain more information regarding Medicare payment cuts or to contact your Congressional representative, the AMA urges you to visit their website at http://www.patientsactionnetwork.com/ or to call their toll-free number at 1-(888)-434-6200.
