The response of doctors will likely be to just not take those patients anymore. Many refuse Medicaid now, and it is hard in our area to find a doctor who takes new Medicare patients.
Obama to outline $313 billion in Medicare, Medicaid spending cutsReporting from Washington -- Under pressure to pay for his ambitious reshaping of the nation's healthcare system, President Obama today will outline $313 billion in Medicare and Medicaid spending cuts over the next decade to help cover the cost of expanding coverage to tens of millions of America's uninsured.
Among the proposed policy changes outlined by the president are:
* Reductions in payments to providers to reflect increased efficiencies in the system, which the White House estimates could save $110 billion over the next decade.
* Cuts in federal subsidies to hospitals that treat large populations of uninsured patients, estimated to save $106 billion over the next decade.
* Cuts in how much the federal government pays pharmaceutical companies to provide prescription drugs to seniors and others, estimated to save $75 billion over the next decade.
So instead of helping hospitals who are overwhelmed with uninsured patients who only have the emergency room for their medical care....they are going to cut subsidies to them.
Cuts in payments to Medicare providers...they will rethink taking patients, I fear.
