Oregon Public Broadcasting

A bipartisan group of senators approved a possible fix in the way Medicare reimburses rural doctors Tuesday.Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports on how Oregon’s doctors are reacting.

Under current Medicare rules, there are huge geographic disparities in payment.

When a Medicare patient sees a doctor in rural Oregon, the doctor typically receives just 80-percent of what a doc in Los Angeles would get.

The fix, sponsored by Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, would attempt to level those payments.

Oregon’s doctors say equalizing payments could help reduce the shortage of rural physicians in the state.

Betsy Boyd Flynn is the deputy executive director of the Oregon Medical Association.

Betsy Boyd Flynn: “It seems reasonable and proper that it's more expensive to have a practice in Manhattan than in Prineville. But the real hard work of health care reform is going to be acknowledging that in some places there is too much money being spent and other places there is not enough money being spent. How are we going to make that more equitable without damaging access in any area.”

The amendment isn’t anywhere close to becoming law.   Currently, it’s part of the finance committee’s health care bill – which, if it were to make it to the Senate floor could be changed further.