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Santorum says Obama pushes doctors from Medicare

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By PHILIP ELLIOTT

The Associated Press

Published: January 23, 2012

Updated: 01/23/2012 04:05 pm

LADY LAKE - Rick Santorum warned Florida's seniors that Democrats' health law would limit their access to doctors and dollars, cautioning them that his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination once backed pieces of the overhaul that requires Americans to buy health care coverage.

Santorum said rivals Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney backed the so-called individual mandate that has emerged as a problem for both candidates. The former Pennsylvania senator said Republicans cannot pick a nominee who would not be able to challenge President Barack Obama aggressively on the law its opponents call "Obamacare."

"I never supported anything close to Obamacare. Sadly, that is not the case with the rest of the people in this field," Santorum told an older audience at an American Legion hall near Orlando. "Whether it's Gov. Romney with Romneycare or Speaker Gingrich and a 20-year promotion of the individual mandate."

Both candidates, he said, should be unacceptable to conservatives, especially among seniors who make up much of Florida. Some 3.3 million Floridians are over the age of 65.

Santorum centered his criticism of the health care law on a panel that controls payments to health care providers. The Independent Payment Advisory Board's unelected members would have too much power over seniors' care, he said.

The panel was designed to curb Medicare spending and its recommendations — such as cutting Medicare rates paid to doctors — are binding unless Congress overrules them.

"When they continue to cut doctors and hospital reimbursements, doctors who have to make money are going to have to take more private-pay patients and less Medicare patients," he said.

It's good politics, Santorum said, but terrible policy.

"The bottom line is more and more providers of health care are not taking Medicare because of the reimbursement rates," he added.

He said it was a clever way for Obama to avoid taking responsibility for cuts.

"The effect is rationing care. It's rationing indirectly. You'll be mad at your doctor, you'll be mad at your hospital," he said. "You won't be mad at Obama, who is the real reason for your doctor or hospital not seeing you."

And when people do see a doctor, it is after delay, Santorum said.

"The average wait is getting longer and longer," he said. "The average wait is 29 days now."

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