Medicaid, Not What it's Cracked Up to Be

A major part of the Obamacare grand scheme was to shuffle as many people as possible onto

the Medicaid rolls. The problem is, the patients don't like it and neither do the doctors.

But other than that ..............

I had the experience of dealing with Medi-Cal (California’s name for its’ Medicaid plan) in the early 90s when I had started a primary care solo practice.  Of 40 primary care docs in a 3 mile radius of my office, I was one of three who accepted Medi-Cal.

Kevin MD

Extrapolating that means you have a 92% chance of NOT having access to primary health care if you have Medicaid.

Relegated to the rolls of a 2nd class citizen.

The payment for any office visit was so low that it bordered on punitive.   The state paid approx 1/3 of the average commercial rate at that time and actually decreased the rate and payment over the past 20 years.  California, perhaps not unique compared to all states, also had a nasty habit of stopping payment for any Medi-Cal billed services when the budget for that year ran out, even if that was after 7-8 months. Practices that absolutely depended on Medi-Cal reimbursement went unpaid until the start of the next fiscal year, at which time the backdue payments would trickle in until the next stoppage.

At one point in American history this would be referred to as slave labor.

Elections have consequences.

Happy?