Bert,
Just another side. Several years ago when I grew tired of bowing to the excessive needs of most Medicaid patients I tried delaying any new appointments as ScottM suggested. Funny though how patients heard from other patients who did not have Medicaid that we made them an appointment for that week or that day! So, I got double calls from angry want-to-be-patients asking why we could not see them for 2 months. It is simply easier to say we are not accepting any new Medicaid patients. As the ones I have move or die or get ticked that I won't refill their pain meds or write them a script for Tylenol and go elsewhere I have over the last few years eliminated all but one Medicaid patient. I have also started this with United Health Care and Aetna. I chose not to boot out the ones I have but won't accept new ones. When a prospective patient asks why, I am very happy to tell them their insurance does not compensate fairly and/or is a pain in the jackass to deal with. Most of the primary care doc here in my market are not taking any UHC and booted the ones they had. Perhaps the Human Resources Directors will stand up and take notice when their employees cannot find a doctor taking their insurance. Well, we can dream, can't we?
Leslie
