Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Medicaid - Obamacare Challenge

Folks on Medicaid have trouble finding a doctor to accept them as a patient. Obamacrap is going to expand Medicaid rolls by 15 million or more in 2014 and that is just the ones who are uninsured now. Doesn't count those who have coverage through their employer and voluntarily drop out when they can get "free" health insurance.

In 2014 those earning 133% of the Federal Poverty Level or less get free health insurance.

That's the good news.

The bad news is, your free health plan is Medicaid.

The worse news is, you may not find a doctor willing to take you as a patient.

MSNBC reports on the challenge of finding a doctor when you have Medicaid.

Children on public insurance are being denied treatment by doctors at much higher rates than those with private coverage, according to an undercover study that had researchers pose as parents of sick kids seeking an appointment with a specialist.

The study results suggest many of the 40 million publicly insured U.S. children are not getting recommended timely treatment for dangerous conditions including asthma, diabetes and depression, she said.

Here are the numbers behind the survey.

The researchers phoned 273 specialty clinics twice, a month apart, seeking an appointment with doctors including dermatologists, allergists, psychiatrists and bone specialists. In one call, the children were said to have private insurance; in the other, they were insured through Illinois' Medicaid program.

Overall, specialists refused to grant appointments for 66 percent of the Medicaid children, versus only 11 percent of privately insured youngsters.

Among 89 clinics that accepted both insurance types, Medicaid children had to wait an average of 42 days for an appointment, versus 20 days for private coverage.

The underlying reason for this should be obvious, even without a study.

In Illinois, Medicaid pays doctors about $100 for office visits like those sought in the study, versus an average of $160 from private insurers, the researchers said.

Other factors against Medicaid patients include "delays in payment and hassles of payment procedures," the researchers said.

The government wants the same level of care but is only willing to pay 60% of the going rate.

The problem is further complicated by the fact that almost every state is in the red when it comes to Medicaid and SCHIP.

Washington borrows 40% of every dollar they spend and yet they want to expand Medicaid rolls by at least a third. What is wrong with this picture? It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out this won't work.

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