If Medicare did such a good job of paying doctors, then why are there signs up NO NEW MEDICARE PATIENTS in so many doctors offices. Medicare does not quibble they have a set formula for reimbursement. And doctors know it. Even a set number of days for a hospital stay, you may still be sick and need more time, good luck getting it approved and paid for.
A routine Internist visit is $85 with the blood draw, between Medicare A/B and Tricare Life (Ret. Military over 65) as secondary. He might get lucky and get and see $55.
Pharmacies take the worst beating. Even on generics. And now all Tricare Life are DOD MANDATED get their daily prescriptions from Express Scripts or drive to the nearest Military Base pharmacy, which are limited in the drugs they carry. Base requires a paper script, might take up to 24 hrs to fill, refills come out of Pensacola take 5 days. ES takes 3 weeks for first fill, 2 weeks refills. They just shove thousands of $$ in meds in your unlocked, mail box, UNSIGNED for. It will, I am told by my US Rep take an act of Congress to get this asinine procedure fixed so it is Photo ID signed for.
Meanwhile your meds are subject to theft, kids getting them.
Only exception is a 1 time fill script, an antibiotic for a sudden infection then you can use your local pharmacy.
Slow reimbursement, low reimbursement are the most common cause of doctors not taking New Medicare patients. It can be up to 3 months before they are paid.
I was only reporting what he said. I did not say I agreed with it. It seems to me he must be dealing with a preponderance of patients that either have ObamaCare (not Medicaid or Medicare) and/or low-tier insurance companies.
Also, it is not an apples/apples comparison when you bring Tricare into the mix, IMO. Lastly, as far as Express Scripts is concerned, I’ve dealt with them and it is an organization full of idiots and losers if you ask me. I never could get it right with them.