Obamacare's Stick On Medicaid About To Get Real In 2013

[freshwest]

Snips of what Obama has done, not admitted by many. Medicare for all appears to be on the way, cliff or no cliff, January 1st, 2013. This shows he's got the backs of the American people, as always. The GOP governors of nine states are refusing to enact the ACA, but:

...You see, there are at least two sticks to make these intransigent governors and legislators swallow the medicine of Medicaid inside other provisions of Obamacare. The first, and the most potent is a little known provision that will provide new federal dollar to match Medicaid's physician and other medical reimbursement rates to that of Medicare. From a Kaiser report on the subject:

''To help ensure sufficient access in Medicaid as enrollment increases, the health reform law requires states to raise their Medicaid fees to Medicare levels at least, for family physicians, internists, and pediatricians for many primary care services. Physicians in both fee‐for‐service and managed care environments will get the enhanced rates. The primary care fee increase, which applies in 2013 and 2014, is fully federally funded up to the difference between a state’s Medicaid fees in effect on July 1, 2009 and Medicare fees in 2013 and 2014.''

Why is this important? Because doctors who see Medicaid patients are currently so poorly compensated that a study found that in 2011, nearly a third of doctors would not accept new Medicaid patients. In contrast, more than 80% of doctors would accept new Medicare patients. Why the disparity between Medicaid and Medicare patients? Well, that might be explained by the following map from the previously cited Kaiser study:

The map and lot more details are at this link:

http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2012/12/obamacares-stick-on-medicaid-about-to.html

I'd read a lot about the ACA during the passage and also afterwards. From that, I saw the inevitability of national health care. Now I see it closer on the horizon. Yes, that sun in the Obama symbol means something good.

[Cha]

1. Thanks for this from Deaniac

at the people's view.

..Obamacare solves this problem, by mandating - and providing funding for the mandate - that doctors seeing Medicaid patients must be compensated the same as those seeing Medicare patients. This has two far-reaching consequences. First, more physicians will take Medicaid patients, and in turn, demand that their states accept the Medicaid expansion, so that they can get more patients paying at the Medicare rate at the minimum.

Brilliant!

[freshwest]

2. I'll take OBAMACARE any day over what those GOP governors are offering!

The American people will still win the day.

[sheshe2]

3. The last two sentences speak volumes!

They wanted to kill the Medicaid expansion in its nascent form, before it - and with it the idea of public health insurance programs for non-seniors - would become mainstream. There, my fellow progressives, is your real public option.

To sunshine on a cloudy day!

Thanks Freshwest.

[freshwest]

4. I knew it all along - it was in the fine print. The GOP read it, that's why they fought it so hard.

Last edited Sun Dec 30, 2012, 10:22 PM - Edit history (2)

Somehow, some people forgot who was fighting for the American people and who was fighting against them. We know who's who.

[sheshe2]

5. Ahhh, yes we do!