Some outpatient cancer clinics across the country have started turning away Medicare patients, saying sequestration budget cuts leave them little choice. At Blue Ridge Cancer Care, doctors say if nothing changes, they will have no choice but to consider similar action. Cancer clinics say the cuts now leave them spending more to purchase and administer the drugs than Medicare reimburses. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Links to more information:
Blue Ridge Cancer Care has information and links to an on-line petition.
The American Society for Clinical Oncology has additional information.
The Washington Post was first to report the story last week.
The Post has a follow-up story on whether these cuts are actually the direct result of sequestration.
Click here to read the Budget Control Act of 2011. Paragraph 8 at the bottom of page 19 makes specific reference to Medicare cuts that will “not be more than 2 per cent for a fiscal year.”
The Hill reports on growing pressure on Washington to change sequestration as it applies to cancer drug reimbursements.
