tci Part B Insider - 2005 Issue 14

POLITICS AND POLICY: Doctor Spending May Make Medicare Part B Too Pricey For Patients

Canceling next year's 4.3 percent cut will only make it worseRunaway physician spending is driving Medicare premiums through the roof, and that makes the 4.3 percent cut planned for 2006 more likely, says the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.Patients will have to pay $11 more per month to belong to Medicare Part B next year, according to a March 31 letter from CMS to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. The premium hike stems from an increase in the number and intensity of physician office visits (29 percent), more "minor procedures" by physicians and physical therapists...

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