Factoids That You Can Use

The news surrounding the much ballyhooed Health Care Reform Act keeps getting worse. In the latest development, primary care physicians are opting out of Medicare at an alarming pace. In Texas, new data shows that more than 300 doctors in the state have stop taking seniors with Medicare coverage. In just the first three months of this year, 50 doctors have announced they will no longer accept new Medicare patients. The Texas Medical Association states the opt-outs follow years of declining Medicare reimbursements that culminated in a "looming 21 percent cut" this year. The trend is not confined to Texas. According to the American College of Physicians, an organization of internal medicine doctors, things will be decidedly painful in the future. The organization predicts a rising number of internists will be unwilling to accept new Medicare patients. This will create a shortfall of between 35,000 and 45,000 internal medicine physicians needed to treat seniors. Also, the independent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has revealed that 29 percent of Medicare beneficiaries it surveyed are having a problem finding a primary care doctor to treat them. With more Medicare cuts on the horizon as a result of Health Care Reform, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. This is awful news for the 40 million Americans with Medicare insurance, many of whom were bamboozled by the AARP into supporting the Obama health care plan.