Unless Congress acts soon, Medicare fees paid to physicians will be cut automatically 10 percent next year, with additional cuts of about 5 percent every year beginning in 2009. Organized medicine has made it clear that cuts of such magnitude would adversely affect senior access to health care as physicians close off their practices to new Medicare patients. A more reasonable payment schedule, however, could add as much as $260 billion to the cost of Medicare over the next decade. The recent report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (the government commission that advises Congress on Medicare policy, also known as MedPAC) offering policy options met a hostile reception on the Hill, and the prospects for a permanent solution remain dim.

Panelists at this event will discuss alternative approaches to resolving the Medicare physician payment problem. Mark Miller, executive director of MedPAC, will present the commission's proposals. Bruce Steinwald, director of health policy at the Government Accountability Office, will discuss ways in which Medicare can promote more efficient physician practice patterns. Edward Langston, M.D., chairman-elect of the board of trustees of the American Medical Association, will address the concerns physicians have with the current policy and proposed solutions. Gail Wilensky will provide her perspective as the former head of the Medicare program.