Democrats Payoff AMA for Obamacare Support

Democrats instructed the CBO to not include the "Doc Fix" cost when they calculated the cost savings of Obamacare because it would have caused the bill to be calculated as increasing the deficit. They even put out a memo urging Democrats to not talk about the "Doc Fix" cost. Medicare reimbursements are scheduled to be cut 21% at the first of April. Now that Obamacare has passed, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has decided to not implement this cut in anticipation Congress will pass a bill restoring this money. Republicans should use every avenue to block this payoff.

BusinessWeek reported:

Doctors slated to have their Medicare reimbursements cut 21 percent on April 1....

Obama accuses doctors of wanting to hack off body parts for money

From the New Hampshire Town Hall:


The AMA responds:

We agree with President Obama on the importance of prevention. However, a recent example used to illustrate his important point was misleading. Surgeons are not paid $30,000 to $50,000 to amputate a diabetic’s foot. Medicare pays a surgeon, on average, from $541.72 to $708.71 for one of two procedures involving a foot amputation. It is possible that the total bill, hospital stay, rehabilitation, prosthesis, etc. may approach the larger amount mentioned.

In the case of tonsillectomies, a patient is referred to a surgeon after medication therapy has proven to be ineffective. Actually, the medical profession itself recognized questions about utilization and appropriateness of tonsillectomies and took action by developing clinical guidelines, which has resulted in a sharp decline in the rate of tonsillectomies.

These types of examples create the impression that physicians are motivated by payment levels rather than what is best for patients. The AMA will continue to stress to our elected leaders that physicians are dedicated to putting patients first and optimizing health care quality.

Doctors Boo Obama (video)

Doctors Boo Obama

From RealClearPolitics:

President Obama says he will not place caps malpractice awards: "Now, I recognize that it will be hard to make some of these changes if doctors feel like they're constantly looking over their shoulders for fear of lawsuits. I recognize that. (Applause.) Don't get too excited yet. Now, I understand some doctors may feel the need to order more tests and treatments to avoid being legally vulnerable. That's a real issue. (Applause.) Now, just hold on to your horses here, guys. (Laughter.) I want to be honest with you. I'm not advocating caps on malpractice awards -- (boos from some in audience) -- (laughter) -- which I personally believe can be unfair to people who've been wrongfully harmed."