Medicaid Payment: Low and Slow
Newly signed Medicaid patients may have a tough time finding a doctor. Only about half of all physicians will accept new Medicaid enrollees, far less than the number of doctors taking on new Medicare patients or the privately insured. The reason? Medicaid reimbursement rates are low and the payment is slow. A study [gated but with abstract] in Health Affairs finds that the average Medicaid pay cycle ranges from a low of 37 days in Kansas to a high of 115 days in Pennsylvania.
Thanks, Devon.
We have to keep reminding people that Medicaid is just another health care rationing system.
Also, Joe, we need to keep reminding people that Medicaid is often no better than — and sometimes worze than — being unisured.