Often-Cited Criticism About Low Rate Of Doctor Participation In Medicaid May Be Misleading
A fact-check examines one of the frequent complaints about Medicaid and finds that the situation is much more complicated. Also, the Des Moines Register reports that the help Iowa promised to the private companies running its Medicaid managed care program will be much more expensive for the federal government, and the Denver Post looks at the continuing problems with the state's new Medicaid payment system.
USA Today/FactCheck.org:
Fact Check: Medicaid’s Doctor Participation Rates
It’s a common criticism of the Medicaid program — that the doctor participation rate is lower than the rate for Medicare beneficiaries or the privately insured. The implication is that Medicaid patients cannot access care and that it has gotten worse since the Affordable Care Act expanded the health care program for the low-income and disabled. But experts say that implication is misleading. (Robertson, 3/29)
Des Moines Register:
Feds' Tab Could Hit $225 Million To Help Medicaid Firms Cover Iowa Losses
Iowa’s decision to help Medicaid managed-care companies shoulder deep financial losses would only cost the state government about $10 million, but it could cost the federal government up to $225 million, state officials say. Much of the federal money would come via the Affordable Care Act, which Gov. Terry Branstad opposed but which his administration has repeatedly tapped to pay for health care for poor Iowans. (Leys, 3/29)
Denver Post:
Problems Persist With Colorado’s New Medicaid Payment System, Frustrating Caregivers
Ongoing problems with Colorado’s new Medicaid system to reimburse hospitals, doctors and caregivers for people with developmental disabilities are threatening small businesses across the state as they grapple with little to no income for nearly a month. The issues are mostly related to operator error because service providers trying to bill the state for taking care of needy clients are unfamiliar with the new, more complex technology, according to the state Medicaid department. (Brown, 3/29)
