SGR Fix in Senate - bad deal?

[goodoldalky]

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I got an e-mail today urging me to write my state senators in support of HR 2 - SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act.

For some reason I looked into this act, having paid little attention to it to this point. Basically it repeals the SGR in exchange for 1 year of 0.25% increase, 4 years of 0.5% reimbursement increases, followed by 0% for the next 5 years, and then a quality-value based system averaging 0.5% after that depending on your "scores".

Along with this come a few other clauses like publishing physician claims data in a public database.

Now as I look into it, seems like a raw deal. Although spending needs to be curtailed and the SGR is obviously broken, this seems like it does nothing but put a virtual 10-year pay freeze on reimbursement, amounting to a ~25% pay cut relative to inflation. However it seems many of the political groups such as ACEP and AMA are at least on the surface supporting the legislation.

Raw deal? Shortsighted? Seems like I'm signing up for a pay cut without this bill addressing any of what I believe to be the chief drivers in the cost of health care. Thoughts?

Summary - http://www.acep.org/uploadedFiles/A...sues/Timeline of 2015 SGR Replacement Act.pdf

Full bill -
http://www.acep.org/uploadedFiles/A...rovider Payment Modernization Act of 2015.pdf

AMA summary -
https://www.asdp.org/AM/Template.cf...emplate=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=3725

 

[Birdstrike]

I think its a mixed bag. The SGR needs to go away. That's a positive. We need negative % medicare cuts to end; that's a positive. We also need increases to keep up with inflation, or better yet increase a bit relative to inflation. That doesn't happen with this and that's a significant negative. Also, don't automatically assume it means a pay cut for you. It could be, or it may not, because Medicare reimbursement for E&M codes aren't the only way to generate revenue and income.

 

[GeneralVeers]

Sounds like a bad deal. We are exchanging one method of cutting reimbursement (SGR) for another (Quality). Government still wants to cut physician payments, they will just do it differently now. They will establish arbitrary, and unobtainable "Quality" goals, and then punish physicians with a decrease in pay when these goals are not met. This is further proof as to why government should not be involved in health care.

 

[LaBusqueda]

Agree. But this is simply going to be a case of "us" (or who speaks for us) accepting that torture will happen, and just being thankful to choose the weapon.