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MedPAC Shrapnel - Solving the SGR Crisis Wednesday, November 09, 2011 Physicians, look out. MedPAC just recommended to Congress their plan for solving the SGR crisis: Let the docs eat it. The cost of closing the gap that has come from kicking the SGR can down the road for over ten years is about $200 billion. Recall this little problem was left out of the financial scoring of the Affordable Care Act for obvious reasons. Their plan would repeal the SGR, cut and then freeze payment levels. Physicians would eat $100 billion of the problem and the rest would be spread to drug makers, DME companies, hospitals and patients. PCP rates would be frozen; specialists rates would take a 5.9% cut and then be frozen for seven years. Frozen is a very apt description of what has happened for the past seven years. Oh by the way, many economists are worried about inflation in coming years, so flat is the new down, and cuts are a double whammy. Not surprisingly, the two votes against the proposal were physicians on MedPAC who rightly cautioned of the unintended consequence of seniors having severe restrictions in access if this moves forward. MedPAC said it had to do this, but really hopes Congress finds ways to fund this outside of Medicare. We do too, but as we all know from negotiations of all sorts, the first idea thrown on the table tends to be the framework for the horse trading. Let's hope not. |
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Show Media Item - MedPAC Shrapnel - Solving the SGR Crisis
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Image - Tim Coan, ALN CEO