tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post4534382050505288897..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Chait Whiffs on Doc Fix SpinJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-76952889867904404272011-01-19T16:17:51.048-06:002011-01-19T16:17:51.048-06:00The original, SGR-necessitated doc fix is not and ...The original, SGR-necessitated doc fix is not and should not be considered part of the cost of PPACA. But PPACA creates a new doc fix of its own with scheduled cuts in reimbursement rates. The jury is obviously still out on whether this will play out in the same way. <br /><br />One specific scheduled cut is in Medicaid. The majority of the coverage expansion in the bill is through Medicaid. But reimbursements are so low that the majority of primary care docs won't accept new Medicaid patients. To fix this they increased Medicaid reimbursements up to Medicare levels for the first 2 years, after which they revert back to the lower level. They designed it this way because keeping the reimbursements higher would increase the cost of the bill. One of two things will happen, the doctors will stop taking Medicaid patients again, making the coverage expansion somewhat useless, or Congress will step in and prevent the cuts from happening, blowing up the cost projections.ABnoreply@blogger.com