Posted on 01/01/2010 6:19:22 AM PST by markomalley
About 3,000 Medicare patients who’ve been getting care at a Mayo Clinic facility in Arizona will have to pay out of their own pocket or find another doctor.
Starting in 2010 (i.e., next week), the five primary care docs at a Mayo outpost in Glendale, Ariz. will stop accepting Medicare. Patients in the program who choose to stick around will be on the hook for about $1,500 per year, Mayo spokesman Michael Yardley told the Health Blog. The clinic expects that most of the patients will find another place to get their primary care.
“We know it’s been incredibly difficult for our patients,” Yardley said.
Medicare typically pays doctors lower rates than private insurance companies. That makes some docs reluctant to accept Medicare patients, and can sometimes make it hard for Medicare patients to find primary care. Medicare covers about half the cost of a primary care visit at Mayo, while private insurance typically covers the whole cost, according to Yardley.
The new Medicare policy applies only to the Glendale facility, but it eventually could be expanded to other sites where Mayo provides primary care. Hospitalization and specialty care won’t be affected.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
My parents (in their 70’s) used to go to a different Mayo Clinic here in Phoenix and they were told way back in the spring that Medicare would no longer be accepted, so I’m not sure if this is old news that is just getting picked up or just a different facility. They have gone with a doc who charges an annual fee for all sorts of high-end care. My dad has even called her at home - she’s available to them at all times. Her goal was to take fewer patients who could pay her rates while drastically improving the quality of the care she gives. They seem really thrilled with her, and I like her because she has recommended they cut back some of their prescriptions that seemed unnecessary to me.
Hopefully America's senior citizens are listening. Upon hearing this, 90% of them would be in the "firmly opposed to Obamacare" camp.
Another $500bil in cuts to Medicare would put clear, undeniable rationing on the nightly news for all of America to see.
A number of years ago, Massachusetts' response to physicians who refused to participate in Medicare was to deny licenses to them. As a result, quite a few doctors left the state. I don't know what the current status of that fiasco is however.
That combined with tort reform would probably drop the costs 75% to physicians which in turn would be passed on to the patients.
They tried this in Kentucky. They got the forms back in all manner of desecration (snicker). Some were wadded up like spitballs, others had (the horror) checked assorted boxes but had colored outside the lines. Still others were completely illegible. The State weenies who thought up this stupidity were astounded that someone as well educated as a (sneer) physician would mutilate a card that specifically told them not to.
If I remember correctly they repealed it fairly quickly when somebody in the legislature was smart enough to realize if they taxed doctors further for the “privilege” of taking Medicaid patients, the doctors would just drop their Medicaid patients, which they invariably lost money on to start with.
My husband suffered 2 strokes. We ended up with extesive bills even with out medicare. It may be expensive, but worth it. He is now back to work. Took 2 years rehab. Thank God they worked with us on the balance. Will be paying them $500
a month for a very LONG time. Obama can take his healthcare and stick it, I’ll take my bills and WORK!!!
Now The Med's Trauma Center is one of the best for a 100 miles or more, Elvis started it and it is named after him. The neo-natal unit is top draw too.
But it is not a teaching hospital, all the docs are in private practice.
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