Shortcomings are examined in programs in California, where low reimbursements are discouraging doctors, and Kansas, where there's a large waiting list for developmentally disabled care.
San Jose Mercury News: Medi-Cal Compensation Inadequate, Doctors Say, As Enrollment Boom Looms
When Dr. Jerold Kaplan made a home visit last year to a man with a foot wound, he billed Medi-Cal -- the state's health care program for the poor and disabled -- what he thought was a modest $90. His payment: $8.96. … As California gears up for a major expansion of Medi-Cal under national health reform, such compensation is leading to a critical concern: Will enough physicians be willing to see the influx of new patients? ... "Medi-Cal has gotten so ridiculous in its reimbursement there are a lot of doctors that aren't interested in working for it," Kaplan said (Kleffman, 7/22).