Medical emergency

So this guy walks into a doctor’s office and says, “I’d like to make an appointment.”

The receptionist replies, “Are you on Medicare?”

The guy answers, “Yes.”

The receptionist says, “Next!”

Not funny? Neither is the 10.6 percent Medicare reimbursement cut dangling over doctors. The budget ax was supposed to drop last Tuesday, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it would delay the processing of claims for the first 10 days of the month while Congress works on the issue.

The House easily passed a bill that would restore funding, but the Senate missed adopting it by one vote. If the cuts occur, access for patients could be sharply curtailed. About 60 percent of doctors responding to an American Medical Association poll said they would drop or limit the number of Medicare patients if the cuts take effect. That would be especially damaging in Washington state, which is already on the short end of the reimbursement stick.

The reimbursement cut solution lays a complicated matter at the doorstep of providers, but patients would suffer, too. And the price of going without care would circle back and impose new costs.

The ever-expanding budget for Medicare is a valid concern, but this solution is a bad joke.