A fast-approaching deadline for a drastic cut to Medicare reimbursements for physicians means thousands of retirees in New York could be looking for a new doctor on Jan. 1.

In anticipation of that change, NYSUT is urging retirees to let their federal lawmakers know that they oppose these cuts.

"At a time when we believe the country is poised to make historic changes to health care, it is inconceivable that retirees should face such a punitive prospect," NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi said. "This change is the exact opposite of reform, and it stands to plunge the health care system in New York into chaos."

At issue is the built-in Jan. 1 deadline for a 21 percent cut to Medicare reimbursements for doctors. The change would be nationwide, but would hit retirees in populous, high-cost metropolitan areas especially hard.

Doctors by the thousands are expected to stop accepting Medicare patients, as they have done in the past when the federal government has reduced reimbursements.

In New York, the cuts could mean that as many as 200,000 retirees on Long Island alone — thousands of them NYSUT members — could find themselves without a doctor.

Even retirees in urban areas may not easily find a new doctor nearby who will take Medicare patients, or who can accommodate a large influx of new patients even if willing to do so.

Retirees can help NYSUT stop this drastic step by contacting their federal legislators and asking them to reverse the pending cuts, said NYSUT Vice President Kathleen Donahue. Her office oversees retiree issues for the union.

"Lawmakers need to hear from their constituents to remember that these cuts will have real and very serious consequences," Donahue said.

The deadline stems from the Balanced Budget Amendment of 1997, when Congress devised a formula to phase in cuts to Medicare reimbursements. The intent was to keep Medicare costs in check, but Congress never enacted the phased-in cuts.

Now, retirees and their advocates fear that the political will may be lacking to permanently scrap the formula for reimbursement cuts and instead devise new ways to contain Medicare costs.

There are several ways to do that, said Louise Levine, co-president of Retiree Council 19 in Nassau County.

Any national health care reform measure should include provisions for reducing Medicare fraud, she said. Congress should also examine the ballooning expenses of private health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry.

Her own doctor has said he faces a 7 percent loss of income if the Medicare cuts go through, Levine said. And while he is not threatening to stop seeing Medicare patients, other doctors might feel they have no choice.

"A lot of doctors may opt out of Medicare if they are being cut dramatically," Levine said. "Retirees should call their legislators to make sure that this plan doesn't go through."