Two key committees of the US House of Representatives have begun hearings to review the administration’s major programmes, policies, and operations. The House Energy and Commerce Committee recently wrote to Tommy Thompson, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, protesting at the administration’s complicated rules. It wrote: “Governed by an estimated 130000 pages of laws and regulations, many Medicare providers are spending as much time navigating their way through [the Health Care Financing Administration’s] complicated regulatory process as they are on patient care.”
And this was over twenty years ago! It ain’t any better.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
This had me laugh. It was Congress that wrote the laws requiring 130,000 pages of regulations. He needed to look into a mirror.
This was before Part D. I wonder what the total number of pages is today?
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My doctor’s office , a family medical practice, who I see for minor routine care, repeatedly tells me that Medicare does not pay for PAP smears so they don’t do them for women on Medicare. It simply isn’t true ! (it’s not hard to look up on the CMS website). They also don’t accept patients on Medicare unless you were already a patient prior to going on Medicare . I wonder if the real reason for their PAP smear “policy” is they just don’t like the reimbursement. If I decide I want a PAP, I’ll self refer to a gynecologist . As far as I know , in my state all gyns accept Medicare and will do a PAP smear.
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