Doctors say Medicare cuts will hurt patients

By Stephanie Beasley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medicare patients will likely have a harder time seeing a doctor if proposed cuts to the program are implemented, according to a survey of doctors released by the American Medical Association on Monday.

Congress is expected to cut Medicare, the state-federal health insurance plan for the elderly, by 10 percent in 2008.

The AMA has launched a campaign to lobby U.S. lawmakers to block it and instead provide a 1.7 percent increase to help cover rising costs doctors are facing.

"This cut will severely impact physicians' ability to care for Medicare patients," Cecil Wilson, a Florida physician and chairman of the AMA's board, told reporters, calling the situation a "looming crisis".

Some 14 percent of the nearly 9,000 doctors surveyed said they would stop providing care to Medicare patients, 60 percent would limit the number of new patients they would accept and 40 percent would shift services to hospitals.

Just over half surveyed said they would have to cut staff.

Wilson also warned the Medicare system will be further stressed because "the Baby Boomers will age into Medicare in just three years." The program covers about 43 million people who are disabled or aged 65 and older.

Jeff Nelligan, a spokesman for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said he doubted this would occur and questioned the accuracy of the survey.