Cuts Only to Providers?

ABC News political reporter Jake Tapper writes about the outlines of the debt ceiling deal worked out in Washington over the weekend. One thing he says I take exception to. He says if the super committee can't come up with $1.5 trillion in savings, then automatically there will be:

Spending cuts that will hit the Pentagon budget most deeply, as well as Medicare providers (not beneficiaries) and other programs.

Let's be real about cuts hitting "Medicare providers (not beneficiaries)." Do you think Medicare providers will just "eat" those cuts? I don't.

If Medicare reimbursements to physicians drop, seniors are going to have trouble getting medical appointments. Most doctors will try to spend more time with patients for whom they get full reimbursement, and less time with Medicare patients. Count on it.