The Affordable Healthcare Act includes reimbursement increases for primary care physicians in 2013 according to information at : Medscape Today-- http://www.medscape.com/...
The ACA boosts notoriously low Medicaid rates to Medicare levels in 2013 and 2014 for evaluation and management (E/M) services and vaccine administration for family physicians, general internists, pediatricians, and subspecialists related to these fields, such as pediatric cardiologists. Lawmakers included the pay hike to encourage physicians to accept more Medicaid patients in 2014, when states are scheduled to broaden eligibility requirements. Many states are choosing not to do so in the wake of this year's Supreme Court decision on the ACA that essentially made participation in Medicaid expansion voluntary.
Organized medicine associations have been concerned that cuts to these increases will be considered as a bargaining chip during the fiscal cliff budget negotiations.
The article goes on to state:
Earlier this month, House Republicans floated the idea of eliminating the Medicaid raise to help offset the $25 billion cost of delaying the Medicare pay cut for 1 year and freezing rates in the meantime. In response, more than 100 medical societies along with dozens of their state chapters wrote a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to keep their hands off the Medicaid pay hike.
It is not clear whether members of Congress still view the Medicaid raise as deficit reduction fodder.
It is important that we keep these Medicaid increases off the table in the fiscal cliff talks. It is time to contact our congress critters again about one more issue!
I work as a speech-language pathologist at a rural for-profit hospital that serves a low-income community. It is vital that we keep these fee increases to ensure that physicians will continue to accept Medicaid patients, as many currently do not.
I would also like to do grassroots work in 2013 educating the local population about the new subsidies and benefits and am interested in learning about groups that are doing community education. I'd like to make that my primary political organizing activity for 2013 and can envision doing door-to-door, event booths, etc. Any suggestions are welcome!