According to data from Texas’ Medicare carrier compiled by the Chronicle, 172 Texas physicians opted out of Medicare in 2010, up from 135 in 2009 and 151 in 2008.
A CMS spokesperson noted that these numbers represent less than 1 percent of total physicians in the state.
However, a recent survey by the Texas Medical Association found that 34 percent of physicians have limited the number of new Medicare patients they see or have stopped accepting new patients. In 2000, only 22 percent of Texas physicians limited the number of Medicare patients they treated.
Since 2001, Medicare payments have been cut roughly 20 percent, when adjusting for inflation, according to the report, pushing some physicians to limit Medicare patients or opt-out of the program.
Read the Houston Chronicle report on Medicare opt-outs.
Read more coverage on Medicare opt-outs:
– Texas Physicians Opting Out of Medicare at Higher Rate
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