File this one in that big, fat, and growing folder labeled “Coverage Does Not Equal Care.” Read:
Millions of Americans bought health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act in the past year. Now, several shortcomings in the system have been discovered.
“Now,” Kemosabe? Some of us have been warning about just this for years. Anyway, pardon the interruption:
In some markets, doctors are reluctant to take on patients who bought health insurance plans through the state and federal exchanges that were created by “Obamacare.”
“I think doctors have a couple of problems with the exchange policies,” said Dr. Austin King, an otolaryngologist and president of the Texas Medical Association.
People often don’t understand their insurance coverage, so staff members have to educate them, “and that adds to the hassle of seeing these patients,” King said.
Another problem: Doctors are wary of the law’s provision giving people with subsidized coverage a 90-day grace period before their coverage is cancelled for failing to pay the premium. Doctors fear they could end up on the hook for care provided to people who lose their coverage, King explained.
Recent news reports also indicate that some doctors in states like New York and Florida are reluctant to accept Obamacare patients because reimbursement rates are well below those of traditional health insurance plans.
I would like to remind potential Democrat presidential contenders that Florida and New York ain’t exactly Flyover Red Country, and to take that into consideration before deciding to run.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member