Friday, September 05, 2008

Doctors' pay cuts save little in health costs

Excellent editorial by Kevin, M.D. in USA Today
(via The Blog that Ate Manhattan)

"Why should I care if doctors get a pay cut?" my patient recently asked me.

(..)
The number of physicians who do not accept new Medicare patients is dramatic; in states like Texas, this number can exceed 40%. No wonder, as Medicare pays less than half of doctors' fees. This scenario comes as a record number of Boomers approach Medicare age.
(..)
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there are more significant drivers of health costs, including new prescription drugs, technology and administrative needs. Princeton economist Uwe Reinhardt estimates that physicians' take-home pay represents roughly 10% of national health care spending. Cutting physician pay by 20% would only reduce spending by 2%.

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