In a recent LA Times “Health 411” column, Lisa Zamosky responds with helpful advice to a reader who cannot find a Medicare provider and confirms that Medicare access is more than an anecdotal issue.[1] 

Unfortunately, for LA Times readers…and the nearly 50 million Medicare beneficiaries generally…Medicare access is virtually certain to worsen because of significant physician payment cuts relied upon in the Democrats’ takeover of healthcare law. The Office of the CMS Actuary warns Medicare payment rates under current law will fall to 57 percent of private pay rates next year on their way in the future to only 27 percent of private pay rates and less than half of projected Medicaid rates.[2]  So the CMS Actuary cannot but conclude “large reductions in Medicare payment rates to physicians would likely have serious implications for beneficiary access to care; utilization, intensity, and quality of services.”[3] 

Moreover, the Democrats’ takeover of healthcare law cut nearly $150 billion from the very same Medicare Advantage plans which have better satisfaction rates as described below in the LA Times article.[4]  The Medicare Actuary predicts Medicare Advantage enrollment could be cut in half by 2017 as a result of the cuts (from projected 14.8 million enrollees to only 7.4 million).[5]

LA Times columnist Zamosky writes, “You're not alone when it comes to having difficulty finding a doctor who will accept Medicare…People have long complained that doctors have either dropped out of the program or are no longer accepting new Medicare patients into their practice. 

“The challenge varies greatly by region and by the type of doctor you're looking for — specialists such as psychiatrists seem to be in short supply in many areas, for example.  Many people around the country also report problems finding a primary care doctor.

“Generally speaking, those living in rural areas have a tougher time finding doctors who'll accept Medicare, while people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, which are administered by private insurance companies, have fewer complaints than those with original Medicare.”[6]

Former HHS Deputy Secretary Tevi Troy describes Medicare access as an emerging problem exacerbated by the President's health care policies:

The Obama administration is putting the squeeze on doctors in a variety of ways.  The result will be a limitation on patient access, as doctors are becoming less likely to take new Medicare patients than privately insured patients, and even less likely to take new Medicaid patients than Medicare ones.  The Obama administration acknowledged this problem when they initiated a spy operation to determine if doctors are denying appointments to Medicare and Medicaid recipients.  They have now aborted this terrible idea, but the problem of physician access for Medicare and Medicaid patients is not going away anytime soon.   

Key Take-Aways

• Medicare access problems are no longer merely anecdotal.
• Medicare access is virtually certain to worsen because of significant physician payment cuts relied upon in the Democrats’ takeover of healthcare law.