Doctors can't cover cost of more cuts

I am writing as a primary care physician, concerned about the ability of my practice to continue to serve seniors. The Medicare sustainable growth rate formula, (SGR) is scheduled to cause a 21.2 percent pay cut as of March 1.

My practice of 20 physicians would not be able to continue to provide the same high-quality care for a reduced rate. There is no way to continue to control ever increasing overhead costs. We would therefore likely either limit the number of Medicare patients we see, or opt out of Medicare entirely. Neither of these options helps the seniors in our area, and neither option would help our small business and our employees.

These temporary patches in years past need to yield to a better formula for physician pay. Even with the temporary patches, the real pay, adjusted for inflation, has fallen for primary care and specialists alike since the 5.4 percent pay cut in 2002.

Please support a repeal of the current formula in favor of a way to compensate physicians in a way that reflects actual practice costs. Our seniors, and the physicians of our nation, depend on your success in this area.

Dr. Howard Axe

Buffalo Grove