Posted on 10/28/2014 5:18:56 PM PDT by dontreadthis
Over 214,000 doctors won't participate in the new plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA,) analysis of a new survey by Medical Group Management Association shows. That number of 214,524, estimated by American Action Forum, is through May 2014, but appears to be growing due to plans that force doctors to take on burdensome costs. It's also about a quarter of the total number of 893,851 active professional physicians reported by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
In January, an estimated 70% of California's physicians were not participating in Covered California plans.
Here are some of the reasons why:
1. Reimbursements under Obamacare are at bottom-dollar - they are even lower than Medicare reimbursements, which are already significantly below market rates. "It is estimated that where private plans pay $1.00 for a service, Medicare pays $0.80, and ACA exchange plans are now paying about $0.60," a study by the think-tank American Action Forum finds. "For example, Covered California plans are setting their plan fee schedules in line with that of Medi-Cal-California's Medicaid Program-which means exchange plans are cutting provider reimbursement by up to 40 percent."
2. Doctors are expected to take on more patients to make up for the lost revenue, but that's not happening, because primary care doctors already have more patients than they can handle. "Furthermore, physicians are worried that exchange plan patients will be sicker than the average patient because they may have been without insurance for extended periods of time, and therefore will require more of the PCPs time at lower pay," says the study.
The study also points to two reasons that doctors might not get paid at all:
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
No one, except every conservative on the planet...
Let me see :older doctors are retireing.
There is no financial incentive to take on the ACA applicants, much less paid 40% less than regular insurance companies.
So, fewer doctors , more sickly patients previously uninsured, and reimbursed by the government at a lower rate than regular policies, and you wonder why doctors drop out ?
Where is the incentive to remain in medicine ?
Doctors still have staff salaries, office rental, equipment usage fees, additional clerical billing codes , what's not to like about staying in medicine ?
Chopper patients on and off.
Profit!
Perhaps Canada can set up some Medical Enterprise Zones just over the border?
Obama sez: “You like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”
Oops!
“In January, an estimated 70% of California’s physicians were not participating in Covered California plans. “
Want to bet that most of the 30% that are participating use English as their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th language.
Bump
As usual, the ERs will be screwed taking care of sicker patients that can’t get in anywhere. The ones with bronze plans won’t be able to self pay or pay the deductibles.
If it were me, I’d be looking to build a hospital on an Indian Reservation somewhere.
Better yet, build hospitals, long term care facilities, rehabilitation hospitals and medical clinics on all the little Native American reservations scattered around the country to serve both the Native Americans and everyone else.
They get better care than the socialist healthcare they get now, they’ll create jobs on the reservation like nursing care and laundry and clerical work that pays as good or better than tourism, they can be exempt from federal regulations, and it will be a much more stable source of revenue than gambling.
Even worse idea. Personal experience here. Federal regulations are multiplied there. It takes a long time to get a business going. One Native Businessman almost had a hotel deal going. He died and it went nowhere. Tribal Reservation sales taxes doesn’t help improve the local infrastructure.
You may want to go with the other poster’s idea of an offshore clinic based on a aircraft carrier.
Not likely !
Canadian patients with Govt. care are streaming over the border now at Niagara Falls, and other points all along the border
as they have to wait 6- 9 months for testing and proceedures that are currently routine here in the States.
They are willing to pay cash in the US , rather than wait for Canada Care.
My Dr. retired because of ACA. FUBO!!!
“You may want to go with the other poster’s idea of an offshore clinic based on a aircraft carrier.”
No need for that:
I used a hospital in Bangkok for an emergency issues several years ago while visiting there. It was a good experience.
https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/index.php
Closer to home:
http://www.sgu.edu/news-events/news-archives11-sgu-establishes-teaching-hospital-grenada.html
A combination Medical Clinic and Casino (with name entertainment, etc.)
If Nevada were on the ball it'd happen soon.
The Canadian Medical Enterprise Zones would obviously be off limits for Canadians...
One of my docs doesn’t take insurance at all.
None of the doctors I’ve seen this year would have taken my insurance if I’d bought it on the exchange.
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