Investor’s Business Daily noted that physician-owned hospitals are endangered by the various medical-care reforms being considered in D.C.
According to IBD, traditional hospital groups last week reached a deal with the Obama
administration and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus,
D-Mont., to reduce their Medicare and Medicaid payments by $155 billion
over 10 years with the stipulation that physician-owned hospitals be required to have a Medicare provider agreement — necessary to see Medicare patients — retroactive to last Jan. 1.
There are about 200 physician-owned hospitals in the country with 110 under-construction.
Traditional hospitals claim that competition from physician-owned
rivals is unfair since they don’t have to take money-losing Medicaid or
uninsured patients.
So it seems the object of health-care reform is to stop physicians from providing health care.