Some Doctors Limit Obamacare Patients
Some health plans purchased on government insurance exchanges pay physicians less, so doctors are limiting the number of new patients they take with such coverage, reports USA Today. Meanwhile, a Kansas doctor sets up a boutique practice to avoid insurance hassles, and Reno, Nev., copes with a big surge in Medicaid enrollment.
USA Today:
Some Doctors Wary Of Taking Insurance Exchange Patients
Now that many people finally have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchanges, some are running into a new problem: They can't find a doctor who will take them as patients. Because these exchange plans often have lower reimbursement rates, some doctors are limiting how many new patients they take with these policies, physician groups and other experts say. (O'Donnell, 10/28)
KSNW-TV:
Dodge City Doctor Says Goodbye To Insurance
Jim Moffitt and his wife started practicing family medicine in Dodge City 14 years ago, but with the Affordable Care Act and changes to insurance procedures he says the claims process has gotten to be too much . “14 years ago my nurse and I could take care of the paperwork we needed to do and have everything done by the end of the day,” Moffitt said. Now it takes more time with twice as many people. So he has decided to stop taking most insurance and instead charge his patients a membership fee. The prices start at $65 a month for a single adult and includes general services and generic drugs. (Cobb, 10/27)
Kaiser Health News:
Reno Finds Medicaid Expansion Tough Hand To Play
For Carolyn Oatman, enrolling in Medicaid this year was “a dream come true.” Uninsured since she lost her job five years ago in this desert gambling city, Oatman, 57, often couldn’t afford the drugs to control her asthma and high blood pressure. She would sell her blood plasma to scrape together enough money to see a doctor. Since she signed up for Medicaid, though, her care is free, including her medicines. But there’s a downside: It can take two months to get a doctor’s appointment at a local community health center, or an all-day wait if she just shows up. Such delays are a result of the surge in newly insured patients seeking care as Nevada became one of 26 states to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2014. The Reno area has seen its Medicaid enrollment nearly double this year — one of the biggest jumps of any metro area nationwide. (Galewitz, 10/28)
