#shorts Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said, “Well, a lot of physicians won’t take Medicare. We can’t turn a profit. We’re not looking to make, say, the physicians obscene profits, but we’re in the middle of inflation. Health care inflation is as real as anything else. We’re paying more in rent, we’re paying more for our nurses, we’re paying more for supplies, and the Medicare fees that were paid to treat folks on Medicare, they’re not keeping up. They’re just not. And so, here comes President Biden, through his Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Here comes President Biden, the champion of Medicare. He proposed a four and a half percent across-the-board cut for every physician treating Medicaid here in America. So, I’m sitting there listening to this, hearing the president say all Republicans want to do is hurt Medicare on the left hand, but on the right hand, he’s trying to cut all the physicians and other providers in the program.

On 2/16/2023, Kennedy spoke on the Senate floor refuting Pres. Biden and Democrats’ claims that Republicans wish to cut Medicare and entitlements. Kennedy’s speech comes after Biden’s repeated comments falsely accused congressional Republicans of aiming to cut Medicare. In December 2022, Kennedy attempted to pass his Protecting Medicare Patients and Physicians Act through the Senate by unanimous consent. The bill would have protected patients and health care providers from a total of 8.5 percent in planned Medicare cuts to physician reimbursements, but Democrats immediately blocked the bill. The bill would have required no new federal spending, but, instead, would have employed unused Covid money from the Provider Relief Fund that had been returned to the Department of Health and Human Services. Using those leftover funds to help patients and doctors who are suffering under the Biden administration’s historic levels of inflation would have represented a fiscally responsible solution to help vulnerable Americans.

Each year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services establishes a Physician Fee Schedule, which sets out how much a doctor gets paid for a particular service rendered. Kennedy’s legislation would have protected patients and health care providers from a total of 4.5 percent in planned Medicare cuts to physician reimbursements.

other clips of this published longer video is here: https://youtu.be/IHoPJFQ_07o
Inflation: physicians not take patients due to Medicare fees cut, Biden hurt Medicare on right hand