Mayo Clinic Opting Out of Medicare

Mayo Clinic in W. Valley Opting Out of Medicare for Primary Care:
"'Low reimbursements have led one West Valley medical facility to stop taking certain Medicare patients, a pilot program that an Arizona health-care expert says may become a long-term trend in the industry.
'Government payers without question are the worse payers in health care,' said John Rivers, president of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association. 'Medicare shortfalls in hospital payments represent nearly $1 billion in Arizona alone. And those costs ultimately get shifted onto the backs of privately insured individuals in the form of a hidden health-care tax.'"

The Mayo Clinic's position on Medicare payments has National implications for Senior Citizens on Medicare. This shift in policy looks like it has a good chance in establishing a precedent throughout the industry. To say that it will have a huge financial impact on current and future Medicare recipients is an understatement. The majority of seniors depend on Medicare as their sole source for medical coverage, and this trend doesn't bode well for them financially.
The Medicare reimbursement problem is nothing new, it has been festering with threats of Denial of Service (DoS) by providers for years.  This is the first time that an institute as prestigious as the Mayo Clinic has drawn a line in the sand and refused to accept Medicare patients.
If this isn't another good reason for the Gang of 535 to "stop the insanity" and come up with real health care solutions, nothing is.