Howdy,
In this post I would like to address the effects healthcare reform has had on doctors, and consequently how it affects their patients.
In her article, Christine McConville writes that because so few Boston-area doctors are "willing to see new patients who pay with government-subsidized insurance," the sick and elderly are forced to go out of their way to seek care. Due to this, it has been observed that though people are insured, they still end up in the ER because no doctor will treat them. But why do the doctors refuse those offering to pay with government subsidized insurance?
Well, as it turns out the reimbursement rate that doctors receive from government backed insurance is relatively low. Massachusetts Medical Society President Dr. Alice Coombs even states that it is even difficult in some places to find a gynecologist who will accept a patient that is not pregnant.
The end result of this is that some practices are closing themselves to new patients, and those that are accepting patients have increasingly long wait times. With all this being said, it is still a step in the right direction, as people that are uninsured are now able to get treatment, albeit after a long wait.
Thanks for Reading
Sources:
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2011_0509many_docs_dont_care_for_state_inurance/
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