If lawmakers don't take action, patients across the South Plains will face longer lines at doctors offices or might be turned away all together.
The sequester set to take effect March 1, will automatically cut Medicare reimbursements for doctors and other providers by 2%.
Those cuts, to help reduce the nation's $16.4trn deficit, were supposed to kick in on January 1, but then delayed two more months as part of the fiscal cliff deal.
Covenant said some doctors will be reluctant to take Medicare patients with the cuts and the doctors that do will have longer lines and slower service.
Vice President of Mission Integration at Covenant Clarke Cochran said Covenant has been adjusting how they work to deal with the changes.
"You just have to be more efficient," said Cochran. "The whole effort in Covenant and many other places is to raise your quality and improve your expense position. So try to get more value for your dollar. If the sequestration went into effect it would just become that much more urgent we do that."
Although Cochran says lines will be longer, the quality of service will stay the same since congress will not make cuts to Medicare benefits.
