You didn't read this in your local paper, but 2010 could be a catastrophic year for elderly heart and cancer patients. Bloomberg News reports that President Obama has proposed cutting $1.4 billion in Medicare payments to heart and cancer specialists.
An Obama administration plan to cut Medicare payments to heart and cancer doctors by $1.4 billion next year is generating a backlash that's undermining the president's health-care overhaul.
...The proposal by Medicare, the government insurer for the elderly and disabled, is an effort by Obama to focus U.S. medicine on preventive care.
...The cuts could have the unintended consequence of rationing care, especially in rural regions with a large number of Medicare patients, doctors said...
Some oncologists in rural areas may stop offering chemotherapy in the office, forcing patients to travel to more- distant hospitals...
