Perspective               

Congress to Increase Medicare Payments to Providers

Senate leaders recently announced that they expect Congress to pass a bill this year increasing Medicare payments to health care providers such as doctors, hospitals, and nursing homes.

The Medicare Rights Center (MRC), a consumer service organization, recognizes that this is an important step in ensuring that older and disabled Americans have access to such providers. In fact, MRC recently conducted a study that found that older and disabled Americans are having trouble finding doctors since the January 2002 cut in Medicare payments to doctors.

Another important step Congress must take to ensure that people with Medicare get the health care they need is to pass a meaningful prescription drug plan. Currently, about 13 million older and disabled adults have no prescription drugs coverage and millions more have only limited coverage. Some members of Congress say they are hoping to attach a prescription drug plan to any bill increasing Medicare payments to providers.

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