This morning in the paper was a blurb – on a report released this week from Tampa Florida. The American Medical Association believes the federal government’s mandate to reduce Medicare payments will force more doctors to stop seeing elderly and miltary patients.
AMA speaker Jeremy Lazarus stated that “over the next nine years, Medicare will cut physician payments 37% unless congress acts before Jan. 1 2007.” This with the looming retirement of 78 million baby boomers – most of which, in this author’s humble opinion, likely planned on social security and medicare in their retirement years.
This is a sad state for sure. In the United States, if you can’t afford an attorney – one is appointed for you at a VERY DISCOUNTED RATE – but if you can’t afford a Doctor, you are put on Medicare or Medicaid. The difference is, these doctors are NOT required to see medicare patients, so if it becomes a loss for them – they will stop taking patients with Medicare.
Something to think about when you do your retirement planning – or even now.