The Affordable Care Act Will Limit Medicare Access
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) when passed into law in 2010 called for a $500 billion cut in Medicare over ten years. These cuts were on the provider side and would decrease payments to doctors, hospitals and some nursing homes. Substantial cuts would also occur in Medicare Part C, or Medicare Advantage, possibly eliminating this entire part of Medicare.
The updated cut is now at $716 billion over the ten years from 2012 to 2021 and will ostensibly pay for 40 percent of the PPACA.
Source: Grace-Marie Turner's September 12th presentation to the Association of Washington Business.
Medicare enrollees are currently experiencing increasing difficulty accessing primary medical care because of poor provider reimbursement. This $716 billion cut is real and will make health care access a much bigger problem for current and future Medicare participants.
It is difficult to understand why any senior, or member of AARP, would support the Affordable Care Act.
