What Are Your Chances of Getting a New Provider if You’re on Medicaid?

You may be surprised, depending on what state you’re in. A chart pulled from data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Electronic Medical Records Supplement (2011) and recently also published in Health Affairs, shows how states compare with the national rate of physicians and offices accepting new Medicaid patients.

States estimated to be statistically significantly different from the national average are displayed in bold.

States estimated not to be statistically significantly different are displayed in italics. (Chart courtesy of Health Affairs.)

New Jersey is not the state you want to be in. Especially since Chris Christie has stated he will not roll out Medicaid expansions under the Affordable Care Act. While it’s true that some providers avoid Medicaid because the payout isn’t as great as it is for Medicare or private insurers, and while it is also true that community health centers often provide great care for those on Medicaid, many of those are struggling mightily with funding cuts that may not allow them to see nearly as many patients or follow-up as consistently as needed.

Author: Larkin Callaghan

I'm a born and bred San Franciscan, with previous residences, postings, and assignments in NYC, LA, and Eastern and Southern Africa. Runner, global health and international development expert, health communication and strategic partnerships professional, implementation science investigator, reproductive health advocate. Previously seen working at the UN, professor-ing at Stanford University, implementing in sub-Saharan Africa, SE Asia, and Latin America with the CDC, PEPFAR, and ICAP at Columbia, and managing research at UCSF. View all posts by Larkin Callaghan