Older Missourians are afraid their doctors will get out of the Medicare business if the government goes through with planned cuts in payments to physicians. Unless Congressional action intervenes, come January 1st, doctors face a 25 percent cut in what they will receive from Medicare to take care of elderly patients. Seniors may lose their Medicare doctors and have a hard time finding new ones.
The AARP polled Missouri members on this issue through a survey conducted by the independent firm, Woelfel Research.
The results were across party lines. 82 percent of those surveyed were concerned that doctors may stop treating Medicare patients because of the pending cut to physician payments. Another 85 percent of those sampled worried about finding a new doctor if their current physician stopped accepting Medicare insurance.
The AARP survey did show strong support for Senators to stop the cuts to Medicare payments to doctors – 81 percent of democrats, 93 percent of republicans and 80 percent of independents surveyed and the vast majority surveyed said they would be less favorable towards their Senator is they did nothing to stop the cut. Lastly, most members felt a long-term solution to the problem is needed.
The survey of 814 Missouri AARP members over age 60 was taken between November 15 and November 21 with a sampling margin plus or minus 3.4 percent.