As more and more doctors begin to accept the coming reality of Medicaid and Medicare cuts, you will see not only fewer doctors, but higher medical costs. Do you have any idea how much a physician gets for an average office visit for one of these patients? If you guessed $25, well go buy yourself a nice hat as you are correct.
Most physicians are now losing money every time a patient walks through the door after counting salaries and office expenses including outrageous malpractice premiums. The solution? Most doctors will end up dropping all of these patients and most are already not accepting any new patients. And guess what? They are getting ready to cut Medicaid and Medicare payments again right now!
In an appeal to Congress right after a health reform meeting, Obama admitted that reimbursements rates will need to be adjusted in order to extend Medicaid to over 15 million Americans which is part of the current, ambitious health reform bill.
As of 2008, nearly 3/4 of rates paid by Medicare were less then private health insurance companies. Right now, most doctors are only taking existing Medicaid patients not new ones. So how on earth is the health reform bill not only going to give Medicaid to 15 million more Americans, but how are they also going to increase payouts to doctors, so that Medicaid members will not have to wait months to see a doctor?
Right now, Medicaid has 47 million members and will soon be over 60 if health reform passes. Waits for Medicaid members for an appointment at some of our poorer city’s federally subsidized health clinic, have lengthened to four months from six weeks in 2008 in light of the recession.
So where are all of these patients going instead of the doctor? If you guessed the emergency room, then you should buy yourself a cane to match your hat, and by the way you are excellent at this game. And guess who pays for these er visits? If you guessed the people that have health insurance, then you should finish off your outfit as you got all three correct.
