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Doctors Say Medicare Bill May Harm Cancer Care -- alt.politics, 18:42:14 11/25/03 Tue
From: Gandalf Grey (gandalfgrey@infectedmail.com)
Subject: Doctors Say Medicare Bill May Harm Cancer Care
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Date: 2003-11-25 13:52:10 PST
www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3884221
Medicare Bill May Harm Cancer Care, Doctors Say
Mon November 24, 2003 06:13 PM ET
By Lisa Richwine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Medicare legislation pending in the U.S. Congress
may hinder senior citizens' access to cancer treatment next year by cutting
payments for chemotherapy drugs, oncologists warned on Monday.
The bill, which looks likely to pass Congress this week, reduces the way the
government calculates reimbursement rates for most chemotherapy and other
injected drugs given in a doctor's office.
But the measure increases payments to oncologists for other expenses
although the American Society of Clinical Oncology, known as ASCO, said the
hike is not enough to cover costs.
"This legislation may harm access to high-quality cancer care for many
elderly Americans," said Dr. Margaret Tempero, ASCO's president.
ASCO had warned that earlier versions of the bill would cut about $500
million, or about 30 percent, annually from U.S. cancer care.
The group is calculating the impact of the new Medicare bill but expects the
cuts to be "significant," said Deborah Kamin, ASCO's senior director for
cancer policy and clinical affairs.
ASCO plans to monitor the situation next year and possibly ask Congress for
changes, Kamin said.
Medicare, the federal health insurance for the elderly and disabled, now
pays 95 percent of the "average wholesale price" that drug makers report to
the government.
Congressional investigations found that price often was inflated and
oncologists were keeping the "spread" between what they paid for the
medicines and the Medicare reimbursement.
Physicians said they needed the money to cover chemotherapy-related costs,
such as salaries for specialized nurses, equipment and supplies, and
counseling. Medicare does not fully fund those costs, they said.
Under the Medicare bill, the government would pay 85 percent of the average
wholesale price in 2004. In 2005, the program would base payments on a new
"average sales price" that is supposed to reflect widely available market
prices.
Supporters said they believed the bill included adequate payments to
oncologists.
Rep. Duke Cunningham, a California Republican and a cancer survivor, said he
had worried oncologists could not absorb the funding cuts. He voted for the
bill after House Republican leaders agreed on the need to closely monitor
the measure's impact on cancer care and possibly make adjustments, he said.
"I am hopeful that the new funding methodology will not result in access
problems for cancer patients," Cunningham said in a statement.
From: Gandalf Grey (gandalfgrey@infectedmail.com)
Subject: Doctors Say Medicare Bill May Harm Cancer Care
This is the only article in this thread
View: Original Format
Newsgroups: alt.current-events.clinton.whitewater, alt.current-events.wtc.bush-knew, alt.impeach.bush, alt.politics, alt.politics.bush, alt.politics.liberalism, alt.society.liberalism, talk.politics.misc
Date: 2003-11-25 13:52:10 PST
www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3884221
Medicare Bill May Harm Cancer Care, Doctors Say
Mon November 24, 2003 06:13 PM ET
By Lisa Richwine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Medicare legislation pending in the U.S. Congress
may hinder senior citizens' access to cancer treatment next year by cutting
payments for chemotherapy drugs, oncologists warned on Monday.
The bill, which looks likely to pass Congress this week, reduces the way the
government calculates reimbursement rates for most chemotherapy and other
injected drugs given in a doctor's office.
But the measure increases payments to oncologists for other expenses
although the American Society of Clinical Oncology, known as ASCO, said the
hike is not enough to cover costs.
"This legislation may harm access to high-quality cancer care for many
elderly Americans," said Dr. Margaret Tempero, ASCO's president.
ASCO had warned that earlier versions of the bill would cut about $500
million, or about 30 percent, annually from U.S. cancer care.
The group is calculating the impact of the new Medicare bill but expects the
cuts to be "significant," said Deborah Kamin, ASCO's senior director for
cancer policy and clinical affairs.
ASCO plans to monitor the situation next year and possibly ask Congress for
changes, Kamin said.
Medicare, the federal health insurance for the elderly and disabled, now
pays 95 percent of the "average wholesale price" that drug makers report to
the government.
Congressional investigations found that price often was inflated and
oncologists were keeping the "spread" between what they paid for the
medicines and the Medicare reimbursement.
Physicians said they needed the money to cover chemotherapy-related costs,
such as salaries for specialized nurses, equipment and supplies, and
counseling. Medicare does not fully fund those costs, they said.
Under the Medicare bill, the government would pay 85 percent of the average
wholesale price in 2004. In 2005, the program would base payments on a new
"average sales price" that is supposed to reflect widely available market
prices.
Supporters said they believed the bill included adequate payments to
oncologists.
Rep. Duke Cunningham, a California Republican and a cancer survivor, said he
had worried oncologists could not absorb the funding cuts. He voted for the
bill after House Republican leaders agreed on the need to closely monitor
the measure's impact on cancer care and possibly make adjustments, he said.
"I am hopeful that the new funding methodology will not result in access
problems for cancer patients," Cunningham said in a statement.