Medicare Plan May Increase Outpatient Services Costs

Medicare clients who seek outpatient care may see rise in costs come fiscal year 2014. Reuters reports:

The U.S. government agency in charge of health insurance for seniors on Monday proposed a 1.8 percent rate increase for hospital outpatient departments in fiscal 2014, as it moves to rein in reimbursements relative to rising costs.

The proposed rule by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is in line with expectations, UBS analyst A.J. Rice said in a note to clients. Reimbursement for outpatient services represents about 20 percent of a typical hospital's total Medicare payments, Rice said.

Read the full story here: http://reut.rs/13GT7aL