SGR Cuts: A Physician’s View (Medicare provider cuts)

Association of American Physician and Surgeons ^ | December 20th, 2012 | Steven Horvitz, D.O.

[grumpygresh]

Maybe we need the 26.5% cut in Medicare.

Maybe then docs would wake up out of their politically correct slumber and decide to actually once again devote themselves and their practices to their patients, instead of to political schemes, insurance and hospital collusive bureaucracy. Those docs who do not care can get a job with the hospital or government. Their patients will know who the docs are working for, and it is not always them. Others like me will continue the Osteopathic tradition of providing excellent care in an independent private practice setting where no one stands between me and the patient.

So let the cut occur.

Let docs wake up and decide to get out of the hamster wheel medicine that the insurer/government/hospital triumvirate has concocted. They will once again be happy to go to work and do the right thing for their patients.

So let the cut occur.

It would be nice if our organizations, such as the AOA, ACOFP and many others would once again become advocates for our profession, instead of politically correct lapdogs for the AMA and government schemes. While you may believe that you are advocating for our profession, what you are doing, and I believe it is unintentional, is just pushing us further into a hole that we never be able to dig out of.

So let the cut occur.

Maybe then you will step back and look at the entire forest, not just the dying trees that are Osteopathic principles and practice for which I went through eleven years of study post high school when others were out starting their lives and families. Others built their family tree and put down roots earlier than I did. Yet every time you go to Washington and beg for more money you are poisoning the roots of my tree, of my practice that I studied and worked so hard for and devoted so much time to.

So let the cut occur.

Maybe then our Osteopathic profession can distinguish itself from other health care professionals, and lead the way again towards a healthcare system in which our patients once again have 100% faith and trust that we are looking out for them, and not some evidenced based guidelines written and coerced by the powers that be.

So let the cut occur.

It will not affect me one bit and maybe it will get other docs to create their own system of care just as Dr. Still did way back when. We did it before as a profession and unfortunately our profession lost its way. Maybe the cut will wake enough of us up!

So let the cut occur.

Steven Horvitz, D.O.

[BlueStateRightist]

If this D.O. doc is suggesting Medicare providers drop participation then it’s a good idea. Millions of Medicare recipients will be in for a very rude awakening in the short term, but ultimately they will find their care (for a higher price) much better. The middleman (read: 3rd party payor, government or otherwise) has ruined American medicine.

[grumpygresh]

It would be better for 0-care to price services below cost so that providers would be forced to drop government programs which would reduce government intrusion.

[grumpygresh]

A reduction in Medicare rates makes going Galt, opting out of Medicare, or simply not accepting Medicare patients much more likely.
This is the situation where you must make your enemy over-reach in order to acheive your objective, which in this case, is market based medicine relatively free of government intrusion.

[Bratch]

Wonderful.

I've got an appointment with a Transplant Center right after the first of the year. I'm sure my Medicare provider will be thrilled.

[BlueStateRightist]

Fully agree. Another situation where Obama voters, in the end, shoot themselves in the foot. This reminds me of the innumerable country club staff who buy into the Obama class warfare rhetoric, vote for him, and then find after the enormous tax increases on the “wealthy” they are now out of a job. In fact, if you ever need an extreme example of how class warfare kills the country just use the country club paradigm.

[ladyjane]

There is no question, things are going to get much worse. There is a large percentage of physicians who are cutting way back or taking early retirement. Health care is going to be a disaster.

Look at what socialized medicine has done in England. When even Kate Middleton gets a foreign nurse imagine what the rest of us are going to get.

Hint: the black pill

[memyselfandi59]

My GP says he’s retiring within the next year because of Obamacare (and he’s only in his mid 50’s.)

My neurologist, who happened to be the head of the department at the local university MS center, left his job suddenly and took over MS research for Genzyme ( a large pharmaceutical.) They evidently haven’t found a neuro yet to take his place.

Three major hospitals, lots of doctors who belong to the same healthcare association as the hospitals (this includes 90% of the neurologists in this city) are in a dispute with my insurance company (United) because they can’t come to an agreement on compensation, so they’re not available to be seen unless you want to private pay (I inquired what private pay would be with a neurologist and they said $450 for the first appt.) Don’t think that’s going to happen, so I’ll just use my GP for neuro care until he retires, LOL.

I’m not on Medicare, but the way I look at it, Obamacare has already affected my healthcare.

“You can keep the doctor you have now” Obama said, but what if the doctor you have now doesn’t want to keep you (or even keep practicing medicine)? That’s what it’s going to boil down to.