By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The American Medical Association is bringing its campaign against proposed Medicare cuts to the Buffalo area Monday. The AMA's president-elect, Dr. Ron Davis, will hold a news conference this afternoon at the Cheektowaga Senior Citizens Center.
The Bush administration is proposing a cut of 5.1 percent across the board in Medicare payments for services provided by doctors to elderly and disabled patients in 2007. It said the cut was required because spending on doctors' services was increasing faster than expected, and faster than the annual goals set by a statutory formula.
The American Medical Association says New York would lose 242 million dollars for health care services next year. And some of the state's two-point-six million Medicare beneficiaries could lose access to health care if their physicians stop seeing patients because of the cuts.
AMA President-elect Ron Davis joined WBFO's Mark Scott on the phone late last week in advance of his trip here. Click the "listen" icon above to hear the interview now or use your podcasting software to download it to your computer or iPod.