Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Temporary Medicaid Pay Raise For Doctors Set To Expire Jan. 1
The Associated Press: Doctors Face Steep Medicaid Cuts As Fee Boost Ends
Primary care doctors caring for low-income patients will face steep fee cuts next year as a temporary program in President Barack Obama's health care law expires. That could squeeze access just when millions of new patients are gaining Medicaid coverage. A study Wednesday from the nonpartisan Urban Institute estimated fee reductions will average about 40 percent nationwide. But they could reach 50 percent or more for primary care doctors in California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois — big states that have all expanded Medicaid under the health law. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/10)
The Washington Post's Wonkblog: Obamacare Paradox: Medicaid Is Expanding, But Doctors Are Facing A Huge Pay Cut
Obamacare's Medicaid expansion is facing a new threat from an unlikely source: the law itself. An additional 9.1 million Americans have been added to the Medicaid rolls in the year since the program expanded under Obamacare. But a scheduled cut in Medicaid payments — built into the law — could steer doctors away from taking new patients covered the program. (Millman, 12/10)
Politico Pro: Medicaid 'Bump' Expiring With Questions About Its Impact
Medicaid fees for primary care providers will plunge by more than 40 percent on average when the two-year payment “bump” expires Jan. 1, according to an Urban Institute study released Wednesday. (Wheaton, 12/10)
In other Medicaid news -
PBS NewsHour: Using Medicaid Dollars To Expand Long-Term Care Choices In Michigan
Traditionally, most Medicaid long-term care dollars have gone to nursing homes. But states are increasingly using waiver programs to provide supportive services for frail, low-income seniors and younger adults with disabilities who prefer more home-like settings. (Wise, 12/10)
