White House wants more power to set Medicare rates
Jul 17 03:43 PM US/Eastern
By CHARLES BABINGTON
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is asking Congress to give the executive branch more power to limit Medicare's rising costs.
A White House letter to top lawmakers on Friday said the move would be "a critical step forward" in controlling health care costs and providing better care.
The proposal would allow an independent advisory board to recommend changes in Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors, hospitals and other providers. If the president approved the recommendations, Congress could still vote to reject them altogether. But Congress could not approve some recommendations and reject others.
Currently, Medicare reimbursement rates vary from region to region. Key lawmakers often get involved in setting local rates, a practice the Obama administration plan would end.
This is the same thing that has caused so many problems in Massachusetts. They think that cutting reimbursement rates to doctors and hospitals will save money without reduced quality of health care. They don't seem to care that what they are really doing is expecting the doctors and hospitals to fund health care. Reimbursing a doctor or hospital for less then it costs to provide the service forces the doctor or hospital into bankruptcy.
Socialized medicine that rations care and forces good doctors out of medicine and hospitals to close is cruel and immoral.
