|
|
Article: PAY GAP MAY HARM MEDICARE PATIENTS.(MAIN)
- Article from:
- Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)
- Article date:
- April 5, 1994
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Albany Times Union. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: ROBERT PEAR New York Times
WASHINGTON Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly, pays doctors only 59 percent of what private insurance companies pay, and this gap may ``compromise access to care for Medicare beneficiaries,'' a federal advisory commission said Monday.
The gap has increased in the last five years, and President Clinton's health plan could widen it further, said the panel, the Physician Payment Review Commission. In 1989, Medicare paid doctors 68 percent as much as private insurers paid.
The 13-member commission, created in 1986, advises Congress on payment of doctors under Medicare and Medicaid, ...