…that Medicaid is a broken system. Taxpayer dollars wastefully fund this entitlement program that is already way too big. If you look at the analysis behind Oregon’s landmark health study that was conducted in 2008, there are significant comparisons between North Carolina Medicaid and Oregon’s Medicaid program that indicate a need for reform.
1. High Provider Reimbursement Rates (compared to the national average):
In 2008, Oregon primary care physicians (PCPs) who delivered services to Medicaid patients received 64% of private coverage.
In 2008, North Carolina PCPs received rates at 95% of Medicare — well before the Affordable Care Act mandated providers be reimbursed for Medicaid services at 100% of Medicare.
(**Note that Medicare and Medicaid fall below private coverage rates, but Medicare pays more than Medicaid)
2. Accessible Care:
80% of Oregon PCPs accept new Medicaid patients, as do 76% of North Carolina PCPs.
The argument behind medical providers being reimbursed at higher rates for Medicaid patients means that quality care will be delivered along with better access to care. Across the nation, one-third of primary care physicians do not accept new Medicaid patients.
3. Medicaid patients are not getting better.
The authors of the Oregon Health Insurance experiment concluded that health outcomes among Medicaid recipients remain stagnant, if not worse. The same goes for North Carolina.
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