Medicare & Medicaid doctor Directory - How to Find Doctors Who Accept Medicare and Medicaid

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If you are receiving Medicare and/or Medicaid, it can often be difficult to find a doctor, be it a general practitioner or specialist, who will accept your insurance. Unfortunately the cost schedules set up by the government have resulted in many doctors opting out of the principles because they simply cannot afford the substantially lower payments for Medicaid/Medicare services as well as afford to pay for the substantially greater paperwork involved in taking such patients.

Medicare Part

Sadly, government has had a tendency to sacrifice refund payments, not increase them, and do not seem to be concerned in face the actual cost of providing services.

Not only that, but inexpressive insurers are not longer willing to "subsidize" communal patients by paying higher rates, so doctors cannot shift the ever-increasing costs to them.

As a result, at a time when more and more doctors are opting out of the system, those doctors who still take Medicare and Medicaid patients generally limit the estimate they will serve, so finding a physician who will take your Medicare or Medicaid insurance is not as easy as simply occasion the phone book and production a phone call. Indeed, it probably will take some real time and attempt on your part.

There is not, and never has been, any requirement that doctors treat patients insured by Medicare or Medicaid. Therefore, population with Medicare or Medicaid are increasingly turning to federally funded clinics, or even to accident rooms that cannot, by law, turn them away. Sadly, using accident rooms for non-emergency health care is unbelievably expensive, production the lower refund Medicare/Medicaid rates not financially wise in the long run.

So, how do you find a physician that will take new Medicare/Medicaid patients?

Well, first of all, do not expect to find a physician or, should you find one or a clinic taking Medicare/Medicaid patients, do not plan on getting an appointment quickly. Sadly, that will not happen very often. Indeed, if you need quick care, the accident room is likely to be your only recourse.

To track down Medicare/Medicaid providers, you can feel your local health department or communal service agencies to find out more facts and there are a estimate of Medicare and Medicaid physician directories online. While they cannot guarantee you an appointment, they do have entrance to facts about current providers.

You can also go to the Medicare website at Medicare.gov or call them at 800-633-4227 (Tty 877-486-2048) to find Medicare providers in your area, although there is no guarantee they will be accepting new patients. It is worth a try, though.

Also, managed care is probably a best bet than inexpressive practice. Hmos organized by inexpressive insurers have a practical interest in having Hmo doctors taking government-insured patients, while Prepaid health Plans (Phps) are generally run by hospitals or healing schools, and often only accept Medicaid patients.

Medicare & Medicaid doctor Directory - How to Find Doctors Who Accept Medicare and Medicaid