An increasing number of doctors are either limiting the number of Medicare patients they see or refusing outright to accept new Medicare patients. The growing rejection of Medicare patients is a reaction to Medicare's low payments and onerous rules, USA Today reported last week. Doctors are increasingly frustrated by the bureaucratic requirements for Medicare and the constant threat of audits by a government agency searching to uncover fraud. Once this trend was limited to rural areas, but in recent times it has spread to major cities, such as Denver, Atlanta, and Austin. Medicare patients are often encouraged to enroll in Medicare HMOs.
Doctors claim HMOs pay better, have fewer hassles, and provide more benefits.
Some doctors, however, increasingly refuse to accept any insurance providers, preferring cash- paying customers instead. However, this study does not include how many doctors are refusing to accept additional Medicare patients. Eight Colorado medical societies recently polled their members and discovered that only 58 percent of primary-care doctors would take on new Medicare patients. A separate poll of 350 Denver area doctors revealed only 15 percent willing to accept new Medicare patients. The John Locke Foundation welcomes comments and ideas for improvement.