Have folks in the healthcare sector given much thought to the financial implications of planned changes in Medicare Part B?
For instance, what happens when the latest Medicare changes make patients pay more for their coverage, with higher co-pays and premium increases coming soon, and when Medigap plans no longer pay the annual Part B deductible for new enrollees starting in 2020?
And consider that President Obama’s proposed fiscal 2016 budget would lower reimbursements to physicians for the medications they administer in clinics and physician groups to 103 percent of Average Sales Price from 106 percent while requiring drug makers to give a specified rebate if the physician’s cost for the drug exceeds 103 percent of the ASP. The current ASP formula leaves many doctors buying essential meds for their patients at a loss.
Will these Part B changes force a lot of clinics and physician offices to close by leading many patients to reduce the number of their visits because of higher costs?