Doctors Face Medicare Pay Cut

" It would doctors participating in Medicare facing between 1% pay cut next year. It's no surprise that many doctors may no longer want to participate here to explain his experiences. Is physical and rehabilitation specialist doctor David Jacobs doctor -- you being here and tell you take Medicare did Jabber."

" I do not participate with the Medicare program. I used to take Medicare patients but unfortunately. And reimbursement has decreased so much that I cannot afford to keep my office. And keep my staff employed. What Medicare reimburses us at the present time. With an over the last three years. I do procedure. For example for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome the school collect my dog repeat. And within the last three years they've decreased to reimbursement."

" I'm in Medicare fee schedule we choose. 7% less than my normal fee schedule."

" By a hundred dollars a year so a procedure that I got paid 600 dollars to your future years ago I know getting."

" 400 dollars for this year. That's where an hour and a half of my time plus the staff in all the equipment. And unfortunately. You cannot make ends meet that way."

" That your doctor you're not supposed to care about making money you're supposed to give everything away for free. Is now we hear because if you extrapolate your experienced a grand jury in New York City which is a much more expensive market. But if you extrapolate out your experience what we are what it seems to me tell me this is true or false that we are hearing is that. There's so much extra money out there that doctors and hospitals like yourself should go to press down your costs that even if we reimbursed less you're still going to make money. Well Medicare has try."

" Do different. Formulas to try to limit -- doctors and hospitals get reimbursed. For example. Three years ago if someone needed physical therapy. They had unlimited -- and physical therapy a year now they're limited to about 1600 dollars a year. If an elderly person unfortunately fractures and hip and physical therapy. Great they can go until they hit that dollar amount and then you're done. Unfortunately very. More often than not really personally fractured their other hit and that we need total knee replacement later that year. And guess what they're out of benefits. And that's basically a under insurance but what is speaking of insurance Medicare versus private insurance which of those two are more aggressive. It telling you what is good medicine. Medicare -- is much cooler. Big Brother in the office they right. I different types of -- name and dates as to what you cannot do. As being medically unnecessary. And as a result if you decide to challenged them. They have the right to come your office what do your books and have exorbitant fines. That could put out of business within a day what if Medicare so aggressive why is it broke -- Caldwell going up why eaten it or not more money coming out of that thing going into clouds. Well there's what reasons mormons going out is that people and things to good health care in new equipment -- the much longer. Second only Medicare also fails to get with the prison situation for example of a patient is admitted that can viewers you -- Sudden weakness the sudden change of status. We make them overnight in state and then the next one we find that there's slightly dehydrated and mild problem we can transfer them to a -- if you unit. To another facility Medicare says we cannot do that can keep them and hostel for three days which went up Medicare."

" I think you just hit on a point that. Least in my view is probably the biggest winnable witches were living longer G General Motors has found this out that if you actuarial -- Estimate for a life span of say 75 years for your benefits and people would be eighty the average lifespan of American females but 81 for American -- to about 78. All the -- got more years yet if we are retiring at the same age. Then you've got people paying into Medicare for the same time they were twenty years ago. But living another seven or eight years all of the living right on prescription medication. And more procedures you've got an aging demographic and fewer people to take care of that. Either we have got up. Cut back on benefits for the elderly which nobody supports political non starter always got -- I don't know what we gotta do -- the people at a younger healthier more I guess right out of out of a possible how can you live another ten years. And taken the same amount of money but pay out for another ten years that you work forty years ago."

" But that's happening all throughout life I mean -- beyond this you have a home in you're paying taxes who Mahoney -- 3040 years ago it pays taxes on -- home. You can afford living home lived in your whole life you have the cell. And medicine. Is changing laws so we are we used to offer a lot more charity care. Who would take care of the people in just write look not right you can't write -- from the IRS viewpoint but we just treat them because they need the care. Unfortunately. -- as a result of managed care in the private sector. And decreased reimbursement from the Medicare sector there is no wolf. Money left. To give that extra care that people desperately need. Because we have to pay salaries to the arts thing if anyone want to save your -- needs to make a good living your your secretary needs to make a good living and let's be honest our utilities go up our malpractice goes up skyrocketing. Because if we don't ordered the newest and best is -- then that person. But what I get sued. I mean that's a big problem. And without tort reform and it's never going to come down. David thank you for being here after -- take a physical rehabilitation specialist on Medicare will feature."