What is happening with medicare.

[Baruch Menachem]

Doctors won't take it anymore
They would rather do pro bono.

Bear in mind that medicare pays a lot less than regular patients, but imposes higher costs because of paperwork and audits on the paperwork.

In a survey, the association found that 65% of its 3,400 members said they are referring their Medicare patients to other doctors. About 60% said they were reducing the number of Medicare patients in their practice.

"These results paint a bleak path we are going down," said Dr. Troy Tippett, president of the association.

However, the federal government's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services said that its own data, and other industry reports, show that only a small percentage of beneficiaries unable to get physician access.

The agency maintains that 96.5% of all practicing physicians, nearly 600,000 doctors, currently participate in Medicare.

Dr. Priscilla Arnold, an ophthalmologist based in Bettendorf, Iowa, and past president of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, isn't buying those numbers.

"You have to assume that CMS' data reflects physicians that are accepting Medicare patients but [do] not account separately for those who are reducing the number of Medicare patients," said Arnold, who added that a majority of her patients are on Medicare.

She said she has to "realistically evaluate" every year if she can continue to see all her patients.

If this latest cut goes into effect, Arnold said many doctors in her specialty won't be able to sustain their practices. "This year, the situation is more crucial than ever," she said.

Kornel said consumers should prepare for some difficult days ahead.

"If doctors drop Medicare patients, these people will be forced to go to clinics where it's hard to get appointments, the waits are long and you get far less attention than you would otherwise get," said Kornel. "I think this situation is headed for disaster.