HERRIN - Dr. Lori Guyton said she and many of her colleagues are concerned that recent failure of federal legislation in the Senate could result in 10.6 percent cuts across the board in Medicare reimbursements owed to health care providers.

"That's a huge issue for our area," said Guyton, who has practiced the last 11 years at Logan Professional Park in Herrin. "A lot of people are not aware of what's happening with Medicare and how such a cut could play a critical role in payment and access to care for the elderly."

Guyton said about one-third of her practice consists of Medicare patients. A 10 percent cut in funding paid back to her by the government would mean thousands lost in the long run. That kind of a cut, she said, would be tough to swallow and could lead to drastic changes.

"It could force some of us to limit the number of Medicare patients that we take," she said. "And I don't want to have to do that. It would change the way physicians practice medicine. There would certainly be more employee-owned physician practices."

Other physicians might have to cut staff or discontinue practices altogether.

The legislation Guyton is referencing is H.R. 6331, which focuses on Medicare improvements for patients and providers.

If approved, the measure would extend expiring provisions under the Medicare program to improve beneficiary access to preventive and mental health services, to enhance low-income benefit programs and to maintain access to care in rural areas, including pharmacy access.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in support of the legislation (355-59), but it failed in the Senate. A minimum of 60 votes were needed and only 58 senators voted in the affirmative, including Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama. Forty senators voted against the measure.

President Bush has put a temporary freeze on the cut and the Senate may vote again on the legislation. But if another vote is held and it falls short once again, the legislation will be rendered moot and the cuts will be forthcoming.

"Congress keeps voting themselves raises while our Medicare funding gets cut and that blocks care provided for the poor and elderly," said Jack Sanford, director for the Southern Illinois Cancer Center in Carterville and president of the Williamson County Medical Society.

Sanford said things could progress to the point where "places that give the best care won't be able to accept Medicare patients anymore."

Such a cut in funding, Sanford said, would have significant impact in Illinois, where a medical malpractice crisis led many good physicians to leave the state.

"With cuts in funding, I don't see any of them coming back," he said. "This is a big mess, and if it's not rectified soon, we in Southern Illinois won't see the same level of medical care here five years from now."

john.homan@thesouthern.com

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