Medicare Physician Pay Cuts: Why Predictions Keep Getting Worse

Talk of Medicare physician pay cuts is nothing new. Experts keep warning of devastation, and the cuts keep getting put off. The latest deadline is December 1, so right now, all health-care eyes are once again on Congress.

The thing is, though, the longer time passes without a permanent fix, the more explosive the aftermath could be, reports the Associated Press. The cuts are “the consequence of a 1990s budget-balancing law whose requirements Congress has routinely postponed. But these cuts don’t go away; they come back for a bigger bite.”

Doctors have muddled through with temporary reprieves for years. This time, medical groups estimate that as many as two-thirds of doctors would stop taking new Medicare patients, throwing the health program for 46 million older and disabled people into turmoil just when the first baby boomers will become eligible.

If you or your aging parents have Medicare and you want to stay informed about this issue, you might find the AP article, “Doctors Brace for Possible Big Medicare Pay Cuts,” a good place to start. And it could be a good idea to ask your regular doctors what their plan is if the cuts go through—just in case.

Do you think the cuts might go through this time? Are you concerned?

If you have any questions about this post or need help finding senior-care options for a loved one, call 1-866-483-4896 to speak with a care advisor in your area.