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March 26 - Poll: Public Worried About Medicare Cuts
Impact On Seniors, Boomers--Wants Congress To Act
Eight out of 10 Americans are concerned about
access to care for seniors' and baby boomers because of government
cuts to physicians caring for Medicare patients, according
to a new public poll by the American Medical Association (AMA).
On July 1, Medicare payments to physicians will be cut 10.6%,
and over the next decade the cuts will grow to about 40% while
medical practice costs increase 20%.
Seniors who rely on Medicare will be hurt
by the Medicare cuts, as 60% of physicians say this year's
cut alone will force them to limit the number of new Medicare
patients they can treat. Already 30% of Medicare patients
looking for a new primary care physician are having trouble
finding one, and the cuts will make access woes much worse.
"As physicians, we are terribly concerned
about how these Medicare cuts will impact our senior patients,"
says AMA Board Member William A. Hazel, MD "Seniors and
boomers are concerned too, our new poll shows that 88% of
current Medicare patients are worried about how the cuts will
impact their access to healthcare." The first wave of
baby boomers will be eligible for Medicare in three years
when they turn 65.
"Military families are at risk too, as
the government will also cut payments to physicians caring
for military families in the Tricare program," says Hazel.
Action by the U.S. Congress is the only cure
to the cuts, and nearly three quarters of Americans polled
believe Congress should stop the cuts so that physicians can
continue to care for Medicare patients. The Save Medicare
Act of 2008 (S. 2785), which would replace 18 months of cuts
that begin in July with payment increases that better reflect
medical practice costs, was recently introduced in the U.S.
Senate.
"Congress has only a short window of
time to act as the first Medicare cut begins in three months,"
says Hazel. "Physicians and now patients have spoken:
Congress should stop the cuts to preserve seniors' access
to care." The AMA has created a
Web site so the public can learn about the issue and take
action.
"There's still time for Congress to act,
and this poll shows that the vast majority of Americans want
lawmakers to make this a priority," says Hazel.
Source: American Medical Association
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