Question for Anyone on Medicare . . .

[Corvette Guy]

Yes, many doctors are not taking new Medicare patients. If you look at the pitiful amounts they pay on claims, and the fact that some claims are not paid for 9-12 months, you can see how good docs with an established practice would choose not to participate.
Case in point, I just received a statement from a doctor for a procedure for which he billed $497.00.
Medicare discounted it by $329.24, paid $133.66.
My secondary insurance paid $17.05.
My balance $17.05.
So, for a $497 procedure paid thru Medicare, doctor receives $150.76.
Hard to keep the doors open on that.

In my experience, the waiting rooms are pretty full when I go there, so I guess they depend on volume. When I got my medicare advantage plan, I checked to see if my important doctors were in their plan. If you have an advantage plan you can switch during the 6 weeks or so beginning in October to another plan that suits you better.

 

[Redneck1919]

In my experience, the waiting rooms are pretty full when I go there, so I guess they depend on volume. When I got my medicare advantage plan, I checked to see if my important doctors were in their plan. If you have an advantage plan you can switch during the 6 weeks or so beginning in October to another plan that suits you better.

I am not talking about the third party advantage plans. Just straight Medicare part A that you automatically go on when you become 65.

 

[gh1950]

I am not talking about the third party advantage plans. Just straight Medicare part A that you automatically go on when you become 65.

It makes a difference if you have a supplement or advantage plan for Medicare.

If you only have Medicare Part A and do not have a supplement or Advantage, you will have a hard time finding a doctor. If you have a supplement or Advantage, you will have no problem finding a doctor.

What sucks for everyone are the hidden Drs. that don't take insurance or Medicare - radiologists, emergency room, anesthesiologists, and so on.

i had heart surgery two years ago and had no problem getting the finest heart surgeon in the area, and I didn't pay a dime for the Dr. or the hospital or anything associated with either.

 

[Redneck1919]

It makes a difference if you have a supplement or advantage plan for Medicare.

If you only have Medicare Part A and do not have a supplement or Advantage, you will have a hard time finding a doctor. If you have a supplement or Advantage, you will have no problem finding a doctor.

What sucks for everyone are the hidden Drs. that don't take insurance or Medicare - radiologists, emergency room, anesthesiologists, and so on.

i had heart surgery two years ago and had no problem getting the finest heart surgeon in the area, and I didn't pay a dime for the Dr. or the hospital or anything associated with either.

This was in my original post:

I have had two recently tell me they are not taking any new ones. One was an allergist in my Aetna network, which is my secondary ins. from when I was working. Second was another doctor that my wife is presently seeing every month.

I have Aetna as secondary ins. It was my primary group ins when I was working. Became secondary when I retired. Aetna now pays for presctiption medication.
Never had a problem with Aetna paying anything, only once when a surgeon decided to add an "assistant surgeon" to the bill. He never got paid.
Up until recently never had a problem seeing a doctor either.

 

[The Old Jaybird]

Those dumb ass socialist liberals who chant MEDICARE FOR ALL, don't realize that will cripple the medical profession. You will end up, if lucky, with a personal doctor for whom English is their third language, received their medical training from a college that is now out of business, and uses recycled equipment.

The US Healthcare system works because there is currently enough private payors, group insurance plans, paying the big dollars to keep the system afloat, and subsidize Medicare and Medicaid. My personal doc's price for an office visit is $150, Medicare pays him about $30, an 80% discount....but his rent, insurance, utilities aren't discounted 80% when I see him. He is operating at a loss when he sees me, even though he gets "paid".

I had 40 years in health insurance, worked for the IL and GA state insurance departments and did contractor work for the FL, NM, AZ, CO, OK and KY insurance departments. I know what I am talking about.