Center for Studying Health System Change

Providing Insights that Contribute to Better Health Policy

Search:     
 

Insurance Coverage & Costs Costs The Uninsured Private Coverage Employer Sponsored Individual Public Coverage Medicare Medicaid and SCHIP Access to Care Quality & Care Delivery Health Care Markets Issue Briefs Data Bulletins Research Briefs Policy Analyses Community Reports Journal Articles Other Publications Surveys Site Visits Design and Methods Data Files


The Effects of Medicaid Reimbursement on the Access to Care of Medicaid Enrollees: A Community Perspective

December 2005
Medical Care Research and Review, Vol. 62, No. 6
Peter J. Cunningham, Len M. Nichols


Previous research has not found a strong association between Medicaid reimbursement levels and enrollees’ access to medical care, even though higher fees increase the acceptance of Medicaid patients by physicians. This study shows that high Medicaid acceptance rates by physicians in a community are more important than fee levels per se in affecting enrollees’ access to medical care. Although high fee levels increase the probability that individual physicians will accept Medicaid patients, high fee levels do not necessarily lead to high levels of physician Medicaid acceptance in an area. Numerous other physician practice, health system, and community characteristics also affect Medicaid acceptance. The effects of Medicaid fees on Medicaid acceptance are substantially lower in areas with high Medicaid managed care penetration and for physicians who practice in institutional settings. The results suggest that a broad range of factors need to be considered to increase access to physicians for Medicaid enrollees.

For a full copy of this article please visit the Medical Care Research and Review Web site. (Subscription required.)

 

Back to Top
 
Site Last Updated: 9/15/2014             Privacy Policy
The Center for Studying Health System Change Ceased operation on Dec. 31, 2013.