Doctors accepting more Medicare patients

Despite a slight drop in Medicare reimbursement rates five years ago, physicians are seeing an increasing number of Medicare patients, defying predictions that changes would cause them to stop accepting patients from the government program. That's according to a new study that looks at physician participation in the program over the last five years. The Center for the Study of Health System changes argues that the numbers are evidence that physicians would ultimately accept proposed cutbacks to the reimbursement schedule. The House is expected to reject the 4.2 percent cut when it votes on the revised budget in January. The Senate voted to eliminate the cuts last month.

- see this article from The New York Times

PLUS: In California, physicians are unhappy with Medi-Cal cuts. Article