Medicare scare (Austin: move, retire, area)

[Bird Lover]

We were all set for the Austin area when I retire then my husband saw something on AOL about Austin doctors not accepting Medicare patients. Is is true? We fell in love with Austin, are our dreams for naught?

Bird Lover

[sanmiguel]

Some doctors do and some don't. We use the services of the Austin Diagnostic Clinic. Most of the doctors associated there do accept Medicare patients.

[Melissa78703]

Hi, I used to work in a clinical setting. It's true that more and more doctors are not accepting Medicare, but that's not just in Austin, it's all over the place. The reason for this is because Medicare has lowered the rates they pay to out-patient facilities. If you go to a hospital clinic, you won't have to worry about this. The Medicare reimburseable rate for hospitals is higher, so they still accept it.

[achtungpv]

I don't know about Medicare or the rest of the country but it is a bit difficult to get into a doctor since many are full. When I first switched to an Austin doctor, I literally just went alphabetically down the list in my provider book and I called at least 20 before I found one that was accepting new patients. Maybe this was just my experience, I don't know. With the additional criteria of Medicare, you may want to start searching for a doctor before you move or need one.