AMA to Wall Street Journal: Medicaid patients get the short end of the government's stick

Wall Street Journal
Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

Your article should be a wake-up call for seniors and lawmakers, as the federal government plans to cut Medicare physician payments by 10 percent next year.

Sixty percent of physicians tell the AMA that this harsh cut will force them to limit the number of new Medicare patients they can treat.

Congress must take immediate action to stop next year's Medicare cut and update physician payments in line with medical-practice cost increases.

Congress can do this by eliminating hefty overpayments to insurance companies that offer Medicare Advantage plans.

The government estimates leveling the playing field between the two Medicare programs will amount to a $65 billion savings, which can be used to shore up Medicare's physician foundation and preserve seniors' access to health care.

Without congressional action, access to care under Medicare will begin to look frighteningly like Medicaid.

Sincerely,

Edward Langston, MD
Board Chair, American Medical Association