Dusseault, Louis--MA

Primary Care is undervalued in the USA. A 10% increase in pay will not come close to making the field a viable choice for new M.D.'s. We need to be paid about 20 to 30% less then the highest pain specialist on average. We are now being paid on average 50% less or in other words they make twice as much as we do. They did not go to school twice as long and do not contribute twice as much to our health care system. NO WAY! Their lobists have been able to keep the system tilted toward specialist since the inception of Medicare. This has caused the system provide worse care overall to our populace for twice the cost some other industrialized countries. I know you know this. Please make primary care whole finally but a 50 to 60% increase in our fees as soon as possible. Start paying all procedures and tests at just 10% above costs and lower the costs if the number of tests etc increase from year to year as Japan does. That will more than pay for the primary care increase. You can't afford to become anything other than a specialist in this country. The quality of primary care providers is falling along with the numbers. Medicare and America will continue to reap what it sows.