Uncertainty over Medicare pay sets doctors on edge

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - For the third time this year, Congress is scrambling to stave off a hefty pay cut to doctors treating Medicare patients.

The 21.3 percent cut will take effect June 1 unless Congress intervenes. Recurring uncertainty over Medicare fees is making doctors take a hard look at their participation in the program.

If the problem is allowed to fester, it could undermine key goals of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, which envisions using Medicare to test ideas for improving the quality of care for all Americans.

Doubts about Medicare's stability can also create political problems for Democrats in the fall elections, since polls show seniors are worried about the impact of the remake on their own care.