Feeling pinched. Hospitals, docs anxious as 'provider payment cuts are pretty easy to do'.

In the aftermath of the debt-ceiling battle, providers are feeling nervous since lawmakers need to come up with another $1.5 trillion in cuts by the end of the year. "Provider payment cuts are pretty easy to do, relatively speaking. And there doesn't seem to be a clear connection in the minds of policymakers that equates payment cuts with access problems," says Michael Regier, left, of provider alliance VHA.