Medicare bill moves to Senate

A bill that would prevent a cut to reimbursements for physicians has passed the U.S. House and is in the hands of the Senate.

The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 passed Tuesday by a margin of 355 to 59. The Senate has until June 30 to consider it.

Carl Bailey, chief executive officer of Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence, said the measure prevents a scheduled 10 percent cut to Medicare and TRICARE reimbursements for physicians and other health-care professionals.

"The benefit is that this will make the profession better to be in and probably attract more to it," he said. "It's a tremendous advantage for us to know that physicians are appropriately paid for the services they provide."

Organizations, including the National Council on Aging, have applauded the passage in the House as a bipartisan effort and as a remedy to some of the ills that have long-plagued the reimbursement system from the Centers from Medicare and Medicaid Services.

National Council on Aging President and CEO James P. Firman said the bill "strengthens assistance against increasing premiums for low-income seniors and removes barriers that impede access to needed mental health and preventative care."

Some physician specialists, including pediatricians, treat a small percentage of people who fall into the Medicare and TRICARE categories.

For other providers, including general practitioners, these individuals comprise the bulk of their patient base.

Were the reimbursements to be cut, the side-effects could have been detrimental to local physicians who must see these patients but have no way to cut their operating costs, Bailey said, which, in turn, would have made it difficult for the hospitals to make ends meet.

"Physicians already got a .5 percent increase, so this will extend that, and it also allows for a 1.1 percent increase (in reimbursements) in 2009," he said.

"Had we seen the 10 percent reduction, we might have seen a lot of physicians be unable to operate. I know if they handed that to the hospitals, I'd hand over the keys to the place. There's no way we could withstand that."

If approved, the reimbursement rates will stand for just 18 months until it must be addressed again, Bailey said.

Michelle Rupe Eubanks can be reached at 740-5745 or michelle.eubanks@TimesDaily.com.