Medicaid Patients Access To Physicians Has Dropped Almost One Fifth In Five Years

According to a Merritt Hawkins’ 2014 survey of the proportion of physicians in five specialties (cardiology, dermatology, orthopedic surgery, ob/gyn, and family practice) accepting Medicaid patients dropped from 55.4 percent in 2009 to 45.7 percent — a drop of almost one fifth.

This decline under the Obama administration contrasts with some improvement in Medicaid patients’ access during the second term of the Bush administration.

As in 2009, Boston had the longest waiting times to see specialists at 1 ½ months.

Read the entire column at the Independent Institute's Beacon blog or John Goodman's Health Policy Blog.