Seniors are facing growing difficulties in seeing doctors who accept Medicare patients. Medicare reimbursement rates are very low, and ObamaCare is scheduled to make them much lower, driving doctors out of the program.

“If ACOs become the only possibility for organizing, financing and delivering care, physicians and patients alike will find themselves in a treatment straightjacket. Thus, government should not give ACOs a competitive edge. If the ACO is such a good idea, let it develop in an open pluralistic market with no subsidy or other government advantage.”

“Responses to the survey combined with written comments received from physicians strongly indicate that most
physicians are not favorably disposed toward health reform and are pessimistic about its potential effects on
their practices. As reform is being implemented, many physicians plan to take steps that would remove them
from patient care or limit patient access to their practices.”

“Of all the scary scenarios predicted for the new health law this is among the scariest: A new survey of doctors predicts the rapid extinction of the private-practice physician. A survey of some 2,400 MDs from around the country found nearly three quarters said they plan to retire, work part-time, stop taking new patients, become an employee, or seek a non-clinical position in the next one to three years.”