FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, February 26, 2010
Attributable to:Lori Heim, MDPresidentAmerican Academy of Family Physicians“The American Academy of Family Physicians is deeply angered at congressional failure to avert the mandated 21.2 percent Medicare physician pay cut. This inaction — in the face of virtually universal calls by the medical community and advocates for Medicare beneficiaries — has put elderly and disabled patients at risk of losing access to care and imposed potentially devastating fiscal hardship on physicians. “America’s family physicians are already straining to make ends meet with Medicare payment rates that have fallen behind inflation. Now they are in a situation in which they must decide between seeing Medicare beneficiaries or putting their medical practices at serious financial risk. “With each delay since 2003 in addressing the sustainable growth rate formula on which Medicare physician payment is calculated, Congress has increased the cost of its ultimate reform. Now, citing the cost of averting the current law’s mandated payment reductions, Congress has failed to ensure that Medicare can provide America’s elderly and disabled patients with medical care when it is needed.
“Nearly one in four patients seen by family physicians is a Medicare beneficiary. Many of our members, especially in rural and medically underserved areas, are in small practices that have no margin to cover even a temporary reduction of this magnitude. The 21.2 percent reduction in Medicare payment will cripple family physicians’ ability to continue caring for this vulnerable group of Americans. “Without immediate action, Congress will renege on its promise of ensuring access to health care for their elderly and disabled constituents. The American Academy of Family Physicians calls on Congress to enact Medicare payment that helps keep doctors’ doors open and ensures access to care for millions of Americans who rely on Medicare.”
If you're on Medicare watch out for the disappearing doctor. If you're about to go on Medicare watch out for the lack of access to a doctor.
Anyone familiar with the downfall of the American auto industry will telll you that one of the key reasons quality deteriorated was the manufacturers squeezing the suppliers on cost to the point where the only way they could stay in business was to shortcut on quality. One of the measures of auto quality I've always personally used was hoses and belts. They're easy to see and tell quite a story if you know how to look. Today, it's a little harder with the engines being nearly totally covered. The hoses and belts on American cars have in the past required changing much more often then those on Toyota's and Lexus and Scion the cars I am most familiar with. I sold my last American car, actually a Ford pick up because a simple hose to the power brake booster had begun to leak. Not a problem except when I went to buy a replacement at the local dealer they told me the part was no longer available and I would have to replace the booster instead. Fortunately a kind parts woman rooted around in the leftover parts bin and found a replacement. Cost as I recall was less then a couple of bucks, the booster a couple of hundred. Once a manufacturer stops carrying simple parts for a vehicle it's time to say adios.
When the physicians start having trouble making ends meet they will either drop the patient or find other ways to cut services. I believe the intent of the Congress is to force everyone into government run clinics where you will be treated like customers at the DMV...take a number and wait even if you have an appointment. Unlike Cuba, doctors here are not yet slaves.
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