Medicare pay to increase for San Diego docs

Medicare pays San Diego doctors $12.33 less for a 15-minute office visit than it pays their peers in San Francisco. A broken arm set in Orange County brings a doctor $47.99 more, despite the work being exactly the same. This disparity, caused by Medicare designating San Diego County a “rural” locality, has long been a thorn to the region’s 7,000 or so doctors.But not for much longer. As of next year, Medicare payments to San Diego health providers will rise between 6 percent and 9 percent.