Dr. Timothy J. Laing, a rheumatologist at the University of Michigan and chairman of the government affairs committee for the American College of Rheumatology, agreed that physicians would be forced to make tough choices if the cuts went into effect.
“I think it would make a lot of rheumatologists think very hard about access for Medicare patients,” Dr. Laing said. “What had always been taken for granted since the inception of the program – that Medicare was welcome in every office – would now begin to be questioned.” The hope for physicians, Dr. Laing said, is that the 29.5% cut mandated by the SGR is simply so large that it would be unthinkable for members of Congress to let it go into effect.