Sunday, December 13, 2009

 

Medicare Apocalypse NOW ! (on January 1, 2010)

On January 1, 2010 MEDICARE PAYMENTS are scheduled to be reduced by 21.1%.

The US Congress has already acted to cancel this fee reduction. The US Senate has failed to act.

If this fee reduction occurs, it is predicted that as many as 90% of physicians will stop accepting Medicare patients!

My practice is one third Medicare patients. One half of my charges are Medicare charges. Up until now I have felt it unethical to charge non-Medicare patients substantially higher fees than Medicare recipients. If Medicare fees are reduced by 21.2% then I would need to raise all my other fees by at least 20% to stay even and meet my expenses. I find this an indirect tax on my other patents to support the Medicare population. If I were to lower all my fees by 20% to keep parity with the Medicare fees, then I would need to close the practice. (By the way, it is likely that ALL INSURANCE COMPANIES will lower fees in accord with the Medicare reductions!)

Like many doctors, I am contemplating OPTING OUT OF MEDICARE. None of my fees would then be controlled by the government and none of my charges would be covered by Medicare. I fear this would be a burden to many of my patients over age 65 and that they would choose to leave my practice. I fear they will find nowhere to go!

I strongly urge EVERYONE to call Senators Lautenberg and Menendez (or, for those of you outside NJ your own senators!) as soon as possible and as often as possible to demand that they act to reverse this planned fee reduction before January 1 rolls around!

Senator Lautenberg: 1 202 224 3224

Senator Menendez: 1 202 224 4744




For reference: the following is the current senate.
It is in alphabetical order by last name. In parentheses is the party and state. The next code (example SH-141 for Senator AKAKA) is the building and room number. Then comes the phone number!

VP: BIDEN, Jr., Joseph R. 202-224-2424
AKAKA, Daniel K. (D-HI) SH-141 202-224-6361
ALEXANDER, Lamar (R-TN) SD-455 202-224-4944
BARRASSO, John (R-WY) SD-307 202-224-6441
BAUCUS, Max (D-MT) SH-511 202-224-2651
BAYH, Evan (D-IN) SR-131 202-224-5623
BEGICH, Mark (D-AK) SR-144 202-224-3004
BENNET, Michael F. (D-CO) SH-702 202-224-5852
BENNETT, Robert F. (R-UT) SD-431 202-224-5444
BINGAMAN, Jeff (D-NM) SH-703 202-224-5521
BOND, Christopher S. (R-MO) SR-274 202-224-5721
BOXER, Barbara (D-CA) SH-112 202-224-3553
BROWN, Sherrod (D-OH) SH-713 202-224-2315
BROWNBACK, Sam (R-KS) SH-303 202-224-6521
BUNNING, Jim (R-KY) SH-316 202-224-4343
BURR, Richard (R-NC) SR-217 202-224-3154
BURRIS, Roland W. (D-IL) SR-387 202-224-2854
BYRD, Robert C. (D-WV) SH-311 202-224-3954
CANTWELL, Maria (D-WA) SD-511 202-224-3441
CARDIN, Benjamin L. (D-MD) SH-509 202-224-4524
CARPER, Thomas R. (D-DE) SH-513 202-224-2441
CASEY, Jr., Robert P. (D-PA) SR-393 202-224-6324
CHAMBLISS, Saxby (R-GA) SR-416 202-224-3521
COBURN, Tom (R-OK) SR-172 202-224-5754
COCHRAN, Thad (R-MS) SD-113 202-224-5054
COLLINS, Susan M. (R-ME) SD-413 202-224-2523
CONRAD, Kent (D-ND) SH-530 202-224-2043
CORKER, Bob (R-TN) SD-185 202-224-3344
CORNYN, John (R-TX) SH-517 202-224-2934
CRAPO, Mike (R-ID) SD-239 202-224-6142
DeMINT, Jim (R-SC) SR-340 202-224-6121
DODD, Christopher J. (D-CT) SR-448 202-224-2823
DORGAN, Byron L. (D-ND) SH-322 202-224-2551
DURBIN, Richard J. (D-IL) SH-309 202-224-2152
ENSIGN, John (R-NV) SR-119 202-224-6244
ENZI, Michael B. (R-WY) SR-379A 202-224-3424
FEINGOLD, Russell D. (D-WI) SH-506 202-224-5323
FEINSTEIN, Dianne (D-CA) SH-331 202-224-3841
FRANKEN, Al (D-MN) SH-320 202-224-5641
GILLIBRAND, Kirsten E. (D-NY) SR-478 202-224-4451
GRAHAM, Lindsey (R-SC) SR-290 202-224-5972
GRASSLEY, Chuck (R-IA) SH-135 202-224-3744
GREGG, Judd (R-NH) SR-201 202-224-3324
HAGAN, Kay R. (D-NC) SD-521 202-224-6342
HARKIN, Tom (D-IA) SH-731 202-224-3254
HATCH, Orrin G. (R-UT) SH-104 202-224-5251
HUTCHISON, Kay Bailey (R-TX) SR-284 202-224-5922
INHOFE, James M. (R-OK) SR-453 202-224-4721
INOUYE, Daniel K. (D-HI) SH-722 202-224-3934
ISAKSON, Johnny (R-GA) SR-120 202-224-3643
JOHANNS, Mike (R-NE) SR-404 202-224-4224
JOHNSON, Tim (D-SD) SH-136 202-224-5842
KAUFMAN, Edward E. (D-DE) SR-383 202-224-5042
KERRY, John F. (D-MA) SR-218 202-224-2742
KIRK, Jr., Paul G. (D-MA) SR-317 202-224-4543
KLOBUCHAR, Amy (D-MN) SH-302 202-224-3244
KOHL, Herb (D-WI) SH-330 202-224-5653
KYL, Jon (R-AZ) SH-730 202-224-4521
LANDRIEU, Mary L. (D-LA) SH-328 202-224-5824
LAUTENBERG, Frank R. (D-NJ) SH-324 202-224-3224
LEAHY, Patrick J. (D-VT) SR-433 202-224-4242
LeMIEUX, George S. (R-FL) SR-356 202-224-3041
LEVIN, Carl (D-MI) SR-269 202-224-6221
LIEBERMAN, Joseph I. (ID-CT) SH-706 202-224-4041
LINCOLN, Blanche L. (D-AR) SD-355 202-224-4843
LUGAR, Richard G. (R-IN) SH-306 202-224-4814
McCAIN, John (R-AZ) SR-241 202-224-2235
McCASKILL, Claire (D-MO) SH-717 202-224-6154
McCONNELL, Mitch (R-KY) SR-361A 202-224-2541
MENENDEZ, Robert (D-NJ) SH-528 202-224-4744
MERKLEY, Jeff (D-OR) SR-107 202-224-3753
MIKULSKI, Barbara A. (D-MD) SH-503 202-224-4654
MURKOWSKI, Lisa (R-AK) SH-709 202-224-6665
MURRAY, Patty (D-WA) SR-173 202-224-2621
NELSON, Ben (D-NE) SH-720 202-224-6551
NELSON, Bill (D-FL) SH-716 202-224-5274
PRYOR, Mark L. (D-AR) SD-255 202-224-2353
REED, Jack (D-RI) SH-728 202-224-4642
REID, Harry (D-NV) SH-522 202-224-3542
RISCH, James E. (R-ID) SR-483 202-224-2752
ROBERTS, Pat (R-KS) SH-109 202-224-4774
ROCKEFELLER IV, John D. (D-WV) SH-531 202-224-6472
SANDERS, Bernard (I-VT) SD-332 202-224-5141
SCHUMER, Charles E. (D-NY) SH-313 202-224-6542
SESSIONS, Jeff (R-AL) SR-335 202-224-4124
SHAHEEN, Jeanne (D-NH) SH-520 202-224-2841
SHELBY, Richard C. (R-AL) SR-304 202-224-5744
SNOWE, Olympia J. (R-ME) SR-154 202-224-5344
SPECTER, Arlen (D-PA) SH-711 202-224-4254
STABENOW, Debbie (D-MI) SH-133 202-224-4822
TESTER, Jon (D-MT) SH-724 202-224-2644
THUNE, John (R-SD) SR-493 202-224-2321
UDALL, Mark (D-CO) SH-317 202-224-5941
UDALL, Tom (D-NM) SH-110 202-224-6621
VITTER, David (R-LA) SH-516 202-224-4623
VOINOVICH, George V. (R-OH) SH-524 202-224-3353
WARNER, Mark R. (D-VA) SR-459A 202-224-2023
WEBB, Jim (D-VA) SR-248 202-224-4024
WHITEHOUSE, Sheldon (D-RI) SH-502 202-224-2921
WICKER, Roger F. (R-MS) SD-555 202-224-6253
WYDEN, Ron (D-OR) SD-223 202-224-5244

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