Docs face 5.4 percent cut in Medicare pay

Legislators trying to reduce cutback in reimbursement

Costs are expanding, but the federal budget is shrinking. It’s a periodic conundrum and the fallguys this time are Northern Colorado physicians.

Doctors are facing an overall cut of 5.4 percent in Medicare reimbursements in 2002 unless the U.S. Congress steps in. The American Medical Association estimates Colorado doctors will lose $18 million, or about $2,063 each per year. The impact will be greater on physicians with a larger Medicare caseload, who could lose more than $10,000 apiece annually.

Medicare is a federal program that provides health insurance to people 65 and older and to certain…