Commentary: Preauthorization proposal steers imaging cash cow to health reserve piggybank

President Obama's 2010 budget proposes Medicare imaging preauthorization as one source of savings to support the new federal healthcare reserve fund, says Sg2 analyst Henry Soch. According to budget documents, over the next 10 years prior authorization by radiology benefit managers would contribute $260 million—or 4/100 of a percent—of the $634 billion Obama wants to generate for the reserve.