More News From the Frontlines of the War Against Medicare

[McCamy Taylor]

In Texas, almost half of physicians surveyed said that they are considering dropping Medicare if Congress allows a schedule 30% reduction in provider fees to go through in January 2012.

The result of the cut could mean more elderly people would lose access to their doctors and have trouble finding new ones.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/10/06/3426224/half-of-texas-doctors-may-quit.html

Meanwhile, hospitals are trimming staff and cutting hours in order to stave off the bankruptcy that will follow a loss of one third of their Medicare revenues.

What does this mean for Medicare? If the payment reductions are not eliminated by Congress, your elderly relatives have a 50% chance that one or more of their doctors will ask them to go elsewhere. With millions of patients suddenly looking for new doctors, the ones who still accept the program will have to stop taking new patients. That mean the nation’s senior citizens will have nowhere to turn except public or charity clinics and hospitals---which already have huge emergency room waits, months long waiting lists to see an outpatient doctor and hospitals so crowded that people are being managed in the halls thanks to high unemployment and high uninsured rates.

We are talking the death of Medicare not just in our lifetime. We are talking the death of Medicare next year.

So, what has to happen to save Medicare? Congress has to vote to eliminate the scheduled 30% reduction. This should not be a problem in the Democratic Senate, especially now that Reid has invoked the so called “nuclear option.” But just last spring, all the Republicans in the House (except four) voted to abolish Medicare for those 55 and younger and replace the massively popular insurance with vouchers.

Now, if all the House Republicans (minus four) were willing to put their necks on the political line to vote to abolish Medicare, what do you think the chances are that they will hesitate for a second to abolish Medicare without casting a vote? Yeah, pretty slim.

What can we, as Democrats do? The Senate needs to vote now to restore Medicare funding. The President needs to urge the House to follow suit. For those who are about to post “Obama won’t do it. He hates Medicare. He wants them to cut reimbursements” the president is on record opposing the cuts.

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/02/21/gvsa0221.htm

If the House does not follow the Senate’s lead, public pressure should be applied. Wall Street is not this country’s only problem. The House has the power to do massive amounts of harm to our most vulnerable citizen, and only the fear of retribution at the polls next fall will make them think twice about doing it.

[RKP5637]

1. K&R!!! n/t

[cutlassmama]

2. this will be the true death panels

[slipslidingaway]

3. knr, Medicare for All should have had a seat at the table :( n/t

[Auntie Bush]

4. That has already happened to me. My Dr. of 25 years...just dumped me!

He just announced he's closing his practice! All his patients now have no Dr. He's instead, opening up a new practice (getting rid of all Medicare and Medicaid patients) His new group is called VPMED and costs $1500/ year plus insurance to become a patient and he'll only take 600 patients, but you'll get exceptional preventative care. He's the only Dr. I've ever had and with his 1500 patients now scrambling for new Drs. It's going to be hard to find one and will over burden the other local Drs. I'm so upset about this as I really liked this DR.

So, it's not going to happen in the future...it's happening right now! Only the RICH are going to have access to good Drs. Medicare patients can go scratch! If I have to rely on the hospital emergency room for help the closest one is 40miles in either direction. I'm sooo bummed/screwed!!!!!