Texas doctors opting out of Medicare at alarming rate

[The Northerner]

Texas doctors are opting out of Medicare at alarming rates, frustrated by reimbursement cuts they say make participation in government-funded care of seniors unaffordable.

Two years after a survey found nearly half of Texas doctors weren't taking some new Medicare patients, new data shows 100 to 200 a year are now ending all involvement with the program. Before 2007, the number of doctors opting out averaged less than a handful a year.

“This new data shows the Medicare system is beginning to implode,” said Dr. Susan Bailey, president of the Texas Medical Association. “If Congress doesn't fix Medicare soon, there'll be more and more doctors dropping out and Congress' promise to provide medical care to seniors will be broken.”

More than 300 doctors have dropped the program in the last two years, including 50 in the first three months of 2010, according to data compiled by the Houston Chronicle. Texas Medical Association officials, who conducted the 2008 survey, said the numbers far exceeded their assumptions.

The largest number of doctors opting out comes from primary care, a field already short of practitioners nationally and especially in Texas. Psychiatrists also make up a large share of the pie, causing one Texas leader to say, “God forbid that a senior has dementia.”

The opt-outs follow years of declining Medicare reimbursement that culminated in a looming 21 percent cut in 2010. Congress has voted three times to postpone the cut, which was originally to take effect Jan. 1. It is now set to take effect on June 1.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7009807.html

[Donnachaidh]

1. Fine -- open up the emigration gate to foreign doctors with the proviso

that they settle in Texas and agree to take the payments Medicare offer, without question.

Let's try a little INsourcing to help American seniors.

I'm sick of seniors and disabled being used as bargaining chips. Turn it around and squeeze back.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Donnachaidh]

5. he's claimed that for months -- hasn't happened though, has it?

Gov Goodhair pulls more talking points out of his ass than the next guy.

[still_one]

7. Of course not, Texas needs the feds from what I understand /nt

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. If the payments are below costs, how will this help?

New offices are often more not less expensive to operate

[Mojorabbit]

13. My husband isn't going to drop it but

the past few months, a republican has put a stop on bills that caused the govt to not pay any medicare claims for the first ten days of the month. When you have bills to pay, ie mortgage and the govt holds off paying their bills it puts one is a pretty big bind. Our employees wouldn't be thrilled to have to wait an extra ten days for their paycheck and our mortgage holders would not be too keen either. It is frustrating as hell not to mention stressful. They need to get their act together.

[Sgent]

21. Um...

Medicare is run by Obama. Medicaid is run by the state.

[Mojorabbit]

28. Yes and? I don't get your point.....nt

[still_one]

2. I don't know if they have a point or not, however, why aren't other state's doctors "opting" out?

That is my question

Since Democrats have lost Texas, and with nut cases like perry, anything that comes from Texas does not surprise me

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. They are...its just not been publicized

The current structure puts payments below costs for many doctors, including mine. She is not accepting new Medicare but will support those she already has.

[Sgent]

22. This article is about texas

its from the Houston Chronicle, not USA Today.

[NNN0LHI]

4. doctors weren't taking "some" new Medicare patients

Wonder how they decide who they accept or who they don't? What do they go by?

Don

[Donnachaidh]

6. they probably turn away the patients who use Medicare as their primary insurance

They have to accept the payments Medicare dictates.

If the patient has another insurance that is primary, they can avoid being told they charge too much on procedures.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

9. That is indeed how it is done

[Lance_Boyle]

23. Take the ones with supplemtal coverage, refuse the rest

would be my guess.

[Sgent]

24. May have to do with existing relationships as well

If an existing patient ages into Medicare, many doctors will continue to see them, but won't accept new patients with Medicare.

[Frustratedlady]

11. Did it give the political persuasion of each?

I think that if there was a tendency to reject Medicare before, Obama's healthcare reform was the impetus to go ahead and absolutely reject Medicare now. Those on the fence just needed that little push to move.

I would guess that the majority of them are of Republican persuasion.

[snappyturtle]

12. It's not only Medicare here in Kerrville,TX. Some months ago I

tried to get my soon-to-be-ex a doctor's appointment. We don't have health insurance. We would have to pay full price and then some....you know how that works...no insurance=higher charges. Anyway, I got a list of doctors taking new patients from the local hospital. The first question, in all cases, was, "Do you have insurance?" A reply of "No" meant filling out a lot of paperwork about income, submitting it and waiting to see if we were 'acceptable'. However, we never got to do that because question 2 was, "Are you over fifty?" quickly followed by that statements "We don't take Medicare. We don't take Medicaid." We're over fifty. SO-O glad to be leaving this state!

[kctim]

14. No surprise

[AndyA]

15. Those Doctors have to pay for their Mercedes and Porsche vehicles somehow!

They have to maintain the yacht. The wife needs to redecorate the bedrooms on the third floor. And she needs at least $10,000/month for new clothes. She can't be expected to wear the same gown to an affair twice, can she?

Those Texas Doctors have it hard. They keep patients waiting for appointments for over an hour while they're on the phone with their stock brokers and investment advisers. How do you expect them to support the lifestyle they deserve when a 15 minute visit only reimburses them at a rate of $275?

Geez, give them a break.

:sarcasm:

[tammywammy]

18. My doctor doesn't accept it

He doesn't fit the rest of your description either. :shrug:

[AndyA]

19. Sarcasm.

Sometimes people just don't get it. :shrug:

[tammywammy]

20. ....

:dunce:

[Winterblues]

16. Greed IMO this is as much a problem with Health Care as any Insurance Company.

Remember Insurance companies do not set the medical costs. They just pay them and are not happy with the huge escalation in costs over the past couple of years..This is a perfect example...We need Government Doctors and Government Hospitals in every major city in America...IMO

[Kip Humphrey]

17. So much for the effects of limited medical liability on affordable healthcare

[clarence swinney]

25. For How Long

My eye dr said he was to stop taking Medicare patients.

I checked his large lobby

17 of 17 were elderly.

Next visit "I changed my mind"

[LongTomH]

26. Fix the whole Goddam system: Single Payer for All!!!!!

Do I need to say more?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

27. That approach is no guarantee that the payment rates will be adequate

[lonestarnot]

29. Guess we'll have to take on single payer as soon as we get the gusher stopped up.

Secessionists have prollee stolen enough to pay for their health care. Let 'em. Leave 'em they'll learn.