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The OP said nothing about other insurance. Does grandpa have it or only Medicare?
As far as I can tell at least two others have asked if the same calls were made stating that this person had other insurance that the doctors offices accepted. The OP has not responded to these queries. Without this additional "secret shopping" trip the OP's points are invalid. If I were their boss I would not be happy with this single view attempt at getting "accurate" information.
I live in a Midwestern city. When I changed doctors a couple of years ago I did not have Medicare and had no problems.
Jut last month I changed my pulmonary doc and again had no problems even though I am now on Medicare.
I've said this before, but will repeat. Drs. refusing Medicare patients is most often reported on CD by residents of GOP governed states, primarily in the "south" - NC, TN, GA, AL, AZ, TX, etc. However, there are reports of this practice in certain areas of CA, as well.
We have a very large older population in Milwaukee. There is no refusal of Medicare patients here that I've ever heard of. We are home to several really large hospital networks and a Medical teaching college/hospital one mile from my house.
No, it's not a nationwide trend. From my perspective, it is a political/regional trend based on comments made on CD over the past couple of years. Although Curmudgeon lives in a red state and he has no problem whatsoever. The link he provided on rural Medicare clinics shows many in even the recalcitrant areas cited by some of the posters.
You're in a northern industrial state - Indiana, aren't you? I'm pretty certain MN, WI, IL, Indiana, don't have these problems. The UHC Advantage network where I live is huge - covers all hospital and most doctors. No problem, here.
Again, a different political mindset/philosophy of many residents. Find a Kaiser network in Colorado. People who participate in Kaiser plans are very happy. Here's one in Colorado Springs:
I live in AZ and, to my knowledge, not many doctors here have dropped Medicare patients...if any. My own doc hasn't and I think he takes all kinds of insurance plans. Recently I was referred to a specialist and he still takes Medicare patients. I have friends who go to other specialists and they aren't being turned away either. I am on an Advantage plan.
The OP said nothing about other insurance. Does grandpa have it or only Medicare?
As far as I can tell at least two others have asked if the same calls were made stating that this person had other insurance that the doctors offices accepted. The OP has not responded to these queries. Without this additional "secret shopping" trip the OP's points are invalid. If I were their boss I would not be happy with this single view attempt at getting "accurate" information.
I live in a Midwestern city. When I changed doctors a couple of years ago I did not have Medicare and had no problems.
Jut last month I changed my pulmonary doc and again had no problems even though I am now on Medicare.
I think my test is the more valid one.
Ummmm. . . well thank you for evaluating my work for my "boss."
I was trying to share some info . . . I believe I stated that this was part of a larger project.
You can draw what conclusions from it that you want.
So, are Americans expected to go to India for care and take their chances?
I do miss America.
It seems to be a nation-wide trend with only a small % of physician-owned practices.
The trend towards hospital owned physicians, which accelerated in the 90s, assures that those docs will have to accept Medicare patients. If a hospital owned practice has too high a patient load, then it would be the responsibility of the hospital to recruit more physicians to meet the community needs.
Interesting! I always wonder if doctors refusing to see Medicare patients is a myth. It is certainly a popular notion.
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It's certainly not a myth.
Both my parents had to find new docs (after many years with the same one who did not take medicare) when they turned 65 and had difficulty. And this is in a town with TONS of medical facility and staff.
You might be surprised how many Medicare patients with fee for service and no supplement leave doctors hanging on their 20% in hospital stays besides the hospital itself. Even private insurance can have this problem which few consider when seeing fees charges.
Yes, and collections are a significant part of hospital budget shortfalls.
I'm not sure this is true. As we discussed above, you can pay the doctor and then have Medicare reimburse you for a percentage of the fee. In some cases, you can negotiate with your doctor for a lower fee when you pay cash.
I am not wealthy, lol whatever that means, in case anyone is wondering. It is my experience that people who have money don't want to pay for their own health care any more than people who can't afford it.
sorry for the swerve
No, it is a valid point.
Docs are not turning patients away b/c they are elderly and receiving Medicare.
They turn them away b/c of reimbursement issues.
If you tell the manager you are on Medicare but you prefer to pay in cash, they will happily take the green stuff.
Just be sure to tell them: "I want to receive your contract rate."
This is especially important when visiting an Urgent Care Center.
Also, hospitals will typically discount a hospital bill 20% off the top (w/ no real negotiations) if you offer to pay in cash or with a credit card.
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