Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Medicaid set to drop payments for primary care physicians


Temporary bump in fees expires in 2015


The Medicaid program has gone through a lot of growing pains as it dramatically expanded as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But it may face its toughest challenge in 2015, when payments to primary care physicians are slated to drop an average of more than 40 percent, Kaiser Health News reported.


The pending cut is connected to a temporary payment increase that lasted for two years, starting in 2013, when insurance coverage under the ACA went into full force. But with Congress deeply divided along party lines about support for healthcare reform, no extension of the payment bump is forthcoming.


That has left many policy experts concerned that the loss of the payment increase will make it even more difficult for Medicaid enrollees to see physicians, according to Kaiser Health News. In some parts of the country, the wait is two months or longer.


http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/medicaid-set-drop-payments-primary-care-physicians/2014-12-28?utm_source=AISHealth

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