Forced Expansion

Here is an article in the American Medical News talking about how Oklahoma is dealing with whether to expand Medicaid or not.    As you know, this was part of the ACA but left up to the states after the Supreme Court decision.  Here are some high points that I gleaned from the piece:

  • With the work force already stretched to the limits, physicians barely are able to see the patients they have now
  • It’s possible that the states may look to offset these greater shares in the expansion by reducing physician payment
  • Expanding Medicaid could shift working adults and their families from private to public coverage, thus “crowding out” private insurance options in the state

How about the fact that hardly any doctors see Medicaid patients because they pay pennies on the dollar?  These dilemmas will be commonplace soon but the biggest one, in my opinion, will be the threat to doctors.  Here is my Nostradougus prediction:  Doctors, in order to keep their medical licenses, will be forced to accept and see Medicaid patients.  You heard it here first.