Monday, March 18, 2013

Just why do doctors hate Medi-Cal so much?

(Note, under PPACA, California just expanded the number of residents eligible by 35%)  
  • In many states, Medicaid pays doctors a fraction of what private insurers pay. In 2008, in California, a doctor made 38 cents on a Medicaid patient for every dollar he made seeing a privately insured one. In New Jersey, a doctor made 33 cents. In New York, 29. And states continue to decrease Medicaid physician fees, because it’s the only lever they have.  Full story.  
  • For every person added to Medi-Cal or Medicare, doctors are forced to negotiate higher healthcare prices with the private insurance industry.  Those increase are passed onto you and your employees as increased premium.  PPACA has only exasperated that cost-shift.