According to a new poll by the California Medical Association, 60 percent of physicians in California say they will stop accepting new Medicare patients if reimbursement changes planned by the government go through. CMS has scheduled a 4.3 percent cut in Medicare payments effective next year. The poll appears to back the argument of the American Medical Association and other physician groups, which have contended that many doctors are likely to walk away from their Medicare practices rather than accept the change in compensation. This is, of course, all political wrangling designed to get Congress to repeal the fee cuts, as it has in previous years.
- see this story from the San Diego Union Tribune
PLUS: Former AMA President Dr. John Nelson issued a similar warning Tuesday, telling an audience of doctors that cuts will hurt patient access to care. Story