As debate swirls over the impact of an impending Medicare physician pay cut, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has released new findings that show seniors aren't having trouble finding Medicare physicians.
MedPAC's survey, conducted in September, will play a part in the commission's recommendations for payment rate changes and other policies. The survey was the first MedPAC study to include data on Americans between the ages of 50 and 64.
According to the survey, 83 percent of Medicare patients seeking care for illness or injury reported "never" having to wait longer than desired to see a doctor, compared to 80 percent for privately insured Americans between the ages of 50 and 64. Similarly, of the 7 percent of Medicare patients seeking a new primary care physician in 2010, 79 percent reported no problem finding a physician, compared to 69 percent for privately insured patients.
The study found only 1.5 percent of Medicare enrollees are experiencing any difficulty in finding a new primary care doctor in 2010, as compared to about 2.2 percent of privately insured patients.
"This survey shows that Medicare continues to provide access to physician care that is equal to or better than that available to Americans in private plans, despite Republican claims to the contrary," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
"These results are a tribute to the professionalism of America's physicians," Waxman said. "They continue to see to the needs of their Medicare patients despite their justifiable frustration with Congress' inability to stabilize the physician payment system. In return, in order to continue to maintain the ability of Medicare patients and military families to see their doctors, it's essential that the 111th Congress act to provide certainty in physician payments."
If Congress doesn't pass new legislation before the end of the year, payment rates to physicians in Medicare and TRICARE, the civilian health program for military families, will be reduced by 25 percent on Jan. 1, 2011.
A study released Friday by the American Academy of Family Physicians showed that if the payment cuts are allowed to stand, nearly 13 percent of respondents would consider no longer seeing any patients, 62 percent said they may be forced to stop accepting new Medicare patients and 73 percent said they would have to limit the number of Medicare appointments.