10.6.1: Doctor-Patient Contracting

Eliminate restrictions on doctor-patient contracting.

Other Information:

Eliminating restrictions on doctor-patient contracting. Beginning immediately, the plan eliminates the statutory and regulatory restrictions on private contracting outside of Medicare that were enacted in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. There were no such statutory restrictions before 1997. This means that Medicare enrollees can enter into private agreements for medical services with the physicians of their choice with no statutory or regulatory restrictions. For reasons of privacy, or for whatever reasons seem good to them, they can go outside of the Medicare program without being required to submit a claim to the Medicare bureaucracy for the physician's service. This restoration of the right of private contracting will also encourage the treatment of Medicare patients by more physicians who otherwise might not participate in the program.

Stakeholder(s):

• Doctors


• Patients

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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