Senator Harry Reid has eliminated the provision for delaying a 21% cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors that is to take effect March 1. The cuts were supposed to be put off until September in order for Congress to figure out how they are going to pay all the rich doctors and hospitals. But the Majority Leader wanted to streamline the jobs bill in which the Medicare provision had been inserted in an attempt to facilitate its passage.
Again this just goes to show how little clout doctors and the AMA have in Congress. When special interests for lawyers donate millions of dollars more than doctors, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, and device makers combined, there is little hope physicians' voices will be heard. Is permanent reprieve from the SGR formula in Medicare important to you? Is medical malpractice reform a priority? Then you better have contributed to your medical society's PAC. I know I have. Because in Washington the only thing they pay attention to is who gives the biggest s***load of money to their reelection committees. Just joining a medical society is not enough. Writing letters may count in a quaint Mr. Smith Goes To Washington way. But ultimately it's all about the Benjamins. Sad but true.
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