More Criticism of the Medicare “Doc Fix”
From Paul Winfree of the Heritage Foundation:
Rather than a permanent replacement to the Sustainable Growth Rate, it is much more likely that the House doc fix will be shorter term patch requiring another series of patchwork legislation just nine years from now.
From David Hogberg of the National Center for Public Policy Research:
When the Senate returns from recess this week, it will consider the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act” (MACR). The bill has acquired many names such as “The Doc Fix Fix” and “Budget Buster,” but a more appropriate one is “IPAB-lite.”
IPAB — the Independent Payment Advisory Board — was created as part of Obamacare to cut Medicare expenditures whenever those expenditures grew too quickly. Thankfully, IPAB’s unpopularity has thus far prevented it from getting off the ground. Unfortunately, the changes MACR makes to Medicare’s payment system seem very much along the lines of what IPAB would do.
(Readers may be forgiven for wondering when I will let go of this so-called Medicare “doc fix”. We expect a vote in the U.S. Senate tonight – but do not guarantee it!)
Who needs Medicare? Better and cheaper care can be had now in Cuba, and for a long time in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Costa Rica.
I had cataract surgery in Rio last year for half what it would cost me in the States. I get diabetes and other meds for free here, too. In Argentina, prices are even lower and no prescription is needed there or in Brazil for common meds.
An Amerikan who speaks Spanish or Portuguese, Hungarian, or Czech would be a fool to rely on Obamacare instead of medical tourism. A routine colonoscopy costs half the USSA price in Switzerland, for chrissake!