Seniors squeezed as doctors shun Medicare

[Craftsman]

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Medicare has become a scary word to the doctors at the largest private group practice in Kansas City, Mo.

It's so scary that most physicians at Kansas City Internal Medicine, with 65% of its nearly 70,000 active patients age 65 or older, have stopped accepting walk-in Medicare enrollees, said Dr. David Wilt, an internist at the group.

Wilt and his colleagues say they are shunning the area's growing senior population because they believe Medicare doesn't reimburse physicians enough to cover the cost of care.

"And if Medicare further cuts its reimbursement rates, then we'll be functioning at a loss," said Wilt.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/27/news/economy/healthcare_medicare_doctors/index.htm

[TwilightGardener]

1. So the question is this: Is Medicare paying too little, or are these

doctors charging too much? Edit to add: If private-practice physicians are poor business/fiscal managers, is it right that they expect Medicare and other insurance to make up for that?

[Craftsman]

2. The Doctors say to little

I heard teh head of the AMA last Friday railing against this.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Well, of course the AMA is going to say that. An independent analysis

would be better.

[Bitwit1234]

5. If they would drop

the private companies supplying Medicare = such as UnitedHealth, they could make Medicare more acceptable to doctors and hospitals. These private companies charge much much more for their services than do straight Medicare.

[Sgent]

10. The answer is

that there is a shortage of doctors -- ESPECIALLY primary care doctors, and they have two options:

See a patient that pays $70, or one that pays $140 -- note they will seem the same number of patients either way.

These poor business managers a mostly making good business decisions.

[Captain Hilts]

4. I'd hate to have medical care rationing in this country!

[OHdem10]

6. Did anyone ever stop to think --the reason Medicare Advantage

caught on--it is a way Seniors could get a Doctor.

Ohio --You can walk into an Urgent Care Clinic. "Medicare not
accepted. Urgent Care.

Doctors here pulled out of Medicare a long time ago.

The Doctors here have two complaints. Low Reimbursement rates
and Congress is always late sending payments.

[Tanuki]

7. Payment rates are significantly lower,

but it is still unconscionable to refuse to see Medicare patients. I am a licensed psychologist, and the Medicare reimbursement rates are lower (although private insurers are increasingly pegging their reimbursement rates to Medicare rates); nonetheless, I have always seen Medicare patients and I always will. Studies in my profession indicate that providers who accept Medicare have significantly lower income than those who don't. However, I did not choose this profession to maximize my income but to provide what I felt was a socially useful service and to use my talents to help others. To exclude Medicare patients is to discriminate against those who are over 65 and those who are on disability. As far as I am concerned, that is grossly unethical.

[OHdem10]

9. I admire your spirit and wish there were more like you.

[SoCalNative]

8. I think the bottom line is

they have too much student loan debt from med school, combined with too high an overhead if they have their own office, or don't make enough as part of a "group practice" to pay live the lifestyle to which they think they are entitled simply because they are doctors.

The only real money to be made these days is in specialties like plastic surgery or bariatric procedures, neither of which is usually covered by insurance.

[Skidmore]

11. Wonder if the good doctor at some point will consider it acceptable

to expose the elderly in the wilderness? The bottom line will receive care for certain.

[TreasonousBastard]

12. This has been going on for years, a fact conveniently...

ignored by the "Medicare for all" crowd. Even worse has been the lack of Medicaid providers.

The problems are legion, but one is the low pay in general of whatever General Practicioners are called this week. Last I heard, the median income for a primary care doctor was around $150,000 while a dermatologist was $450,000.

Can you see the problem?

[damntexdem]

13. All the more reason to enact Medicare for all.

Take it or try to make it on out-of-pocket patients.