On the recordMarch 21, 2012
The problem that we keep facing is rapidly rising health care costs. It's not just for Medicare; it's for private insurance. It's for anybody who has health coverage that costs of health care are going up rapidly. The approach of Medicare has always been to look for ways to hold down the cost. There was a time when ophthalmologists would charge a fee for removing the cataract and then ask for another fee for inserting the lens. Well, that made sense when that surgery was brand new, but they didn't want to give up the two fees that they were receiving because it would be a reduction in their reimbursement. But Medicare said no, that really doesn't make sense. Medicare does a lot of things to hold down cost, and then private insurance picks them up because so often they make sense. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
