How Much Does Medicaid Pay Doctors?
Here are the numbers, courtesy of Austin Frakt:
Here are three interesting features:
- Although Medicaid rates were 72% of Medicare’s in 2008, on the average, 11 states paid higher rates than Medicare pays.
- New York and Rhode Island were next to last, paying close to 40% of what Medicare pays.
- Georgia, on the other hand, pays about 90%.
Why are those last two bullets so interesting? Because, overall, New York and Rhode Island spend the most on Medicaid ($8,450 and $8,796 per enrollee) and Georgia is near the bottom ($3,892).
I’ll write more about this in the future.
Interesting, I wonder how quality varies between New York and Georgia.
New York and Rhode Island are screwing the doctors. What else is new?
I’ve noticed that the states with the most generous Medicaid eligibility are often the ones that pay the lowest Medicaid physician fees. It’s a covert rationing mechanism –make more people eligible but don’t provide the resources to actually get to see a doctor.
Fascinating.
It’s arbitrary anyway. Why do we favor the elderly (Medicare) over the poor (Medicaid)?
What are they paying hospitals (and therefore hospitalists) and federally qualified health clinics?
State Medicaid programs routinely underpay private, fee-for-service, physicians simply because they don’t fit into the prevailing mania for managed care (also known as coordinated or integrated care) which basically boils down to care from a physician in thrall to a hospital.
Fees are one issue– expenses are another. What do physicians in other countries pay in medical malpractice premiums? What is the net income of the physician.
Yes, Linda, I have been checking out the FQHCs and consider them to be a great way to fleece the taxpayers while hiding under the cover of “helping the poor.” Same thing with Medicaid HMOs. Believe me, the doctor is literally the last one to get paid.
The number for GA is misleading. Medicare rates are lower and so are Medicaid rates. Our practice quit taking Medicaid in GA five years ago. There was so much red tape, erratic payment patterns, and so often a 0% reimbursement rate that we finally said – to heck with it. If you want us to serve this population that desperately needs it, CUT OUT the RED TAPE!!
I think the physicians charge the same amount or even more but not less to what they charge the fees for the regular checkup of the patient with any policies or plans in there hands !
http://www.medicaresouthcarolina.com/
My X recently got medicaid in new york. I live in NJ and NY medicaid said my son is covered in NJ as long as the doctor accepts medicaid.
My son wellness exam is due this month and last year the cost was $385.00, but the doctor discounted to $185.00, the same payment the group gets as if I had regular Insurance and i paid cash.
does medicaid pay less than the $185.00 i paid last year? I will speak to the doctor this week too
It is very interesting how the medicaid paying rates between Newyork and Georgia.Its not about the payment rates what they are offering but it is about how many doctors and physicians are doing good for the patients.
URL:http://www.medicarewyoming.com