The Complexitites Of Medicare’s Doctor Pay Dynamics
Politico Pro: Fight Over Doctors' Payments Ignores CostsThe Medicare physician payment formula is often attacked as a budget gimmick that holds down federal spending on paper, even though everyone knows the cuts it imposes will never come into effect. Weaning lawmakers off the device, however, is challenging not only because putting an end to it gets more expensive with every passing year, but because it has failed at achieving the goal it was actually designed for: slowing cost growth. A permanent fix to the problem, experts say, requires not just being honest about what it will cost to pay doctors, but also crafting a new payment structure that will succeed where the current formula failed (Feder, 6/20). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.