Unless Congress finds a solution to the physicians' disputes with Medicare over reimbursements, the TMA said the percentage would likely go down further. By July 15, another 10.6 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements is slated, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Monday it would not process new claims until July 15 to give Congress time to block the cut.
If the 10.6 percent and another 5 percent cut slated to take effect January 2009 aren't stopped, over the next 18 months Texas doctors would lose $860 million attending to the medical needs of seniors and the disabled, the TMA estimates. It boils down to $18,000 per physician.
Texas, along with Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma have more uninsured residents compared to other regions. Collectively, 30 percent of non-elderly adults and 18 percent of children in the Southwest do not have health insurance coverage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
