Nation : More Doctors Cut Medicare Charges

WASHINGTON — More physicians are agreeing to limit their charges for Medicare patients, although it is harder to find such a doctor in some states than in others, the government said today.

The Health Care Financing Administration reported that 283,475 physicians--40.7% of the 696,848 doctors who bill Medicare--have signed agreements for this year to charge Medicare patients no more than the government-approved amount.

That’s an increase from 37.3% in 1988 and 30.6% in 1987, and accounts for more than 60% of the total Medicare spending on physicians’ services, said Louis B. Hays, acting administrator of HFCA.

In Alabama, 76% of the physicians have agreed to charge only the Medicare-approved rate for all their Medicare patients, but in Idaho, only 16% have agreed to participate fully in the program.