Washington state: State pushes to boost Medicare payments
THE NEWS TRIBUNE
The Washington State Medical Association joined with 40 other state medical associations Thursday in a petition drive intended to pressure Congress to increase Medicare payments to doctors.
The petition urges lawmakers to change the payment formula that doctors say no longer covers their costs of providing care.
If the federal formula is not changed, the state medical association says, Washington’s 897,000 Medicare recipients, plus 337,000 military family members covered by TRICARE, will have trouble finding doctors to treat them.
“Every year for a decade, physicians and other practitioners have faced steep Medicare cuts that jeopardize our ability to care for our patients,” said Dr. Deborah Harper, president of the medical association.
“This ongoing uncertainty hurts patients and their doctors,” Harper said. “Patients need to know their doctor will be there when they need them.”
Rob Carson, staff writer
