Higher Payments Not Significantly Associated With Physician Participation in Medicaid

A two-year increase in payments to primary care physicians who treat Medicaid patients was not associated with a significant increase in physician participation in the program, according to a new AHRQ study in Health Affairs. Under the Affordable Care Act, states were required in 2013 and 2014 to raise Medicaid primary care payment rates to the same level as Medicare payments. The change resulted in a 73 percent average payment increase to physicians for Medicaid-provided primary care services, with some states increasing payments more than 100 percent. Researchers’ analysis of more than 7,700 primary care physicians in 2011–2015 found, however, that the fee increase was not associated with an increase in the proportion of primary care physicians accepting new Medicaid patients, which remained around 65 percent.The study also found no increase in the number of Medicaid patients seen by primary care physicians who were already treating some Medicaid patients. Access the abstract.