Medicaid not Helping Anyone

Written By: Chris Woodward  |  Posted: Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

            According to one private physician, Medicaid hurts physicians, taxpayers and the poor.

            Dr. Alieta Eck of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) says Medicaid is a prime example of why government needs to get out of the business of charity.
            "Medicaid hurts the poor for a number of reasons: One, it gives them an entitlement and [the] incentive to stay there," she explains.
            But Dr. Eck also points out that Medicaid hurts physicians as well.
            "The reimbursement is so low, most don't take it. And they've all decided that it's cheaper to take care of people for free. So they wind up doing a lot of free care [with] no reimbursement, [and they] still have all the liability associated with that," the AAPS spokesperson details.
            In effect, that is another way Medicaid hurts the poor. With fewer physicians participating in Medicaid, those with no money have a hard time finding a doctor. Meanwhile, taxpayers are hit with an ever-increasing burden that already consumes up to 25 percent of every state budget.
            Amid all the hurt, Dr. Eck points out that Medicaid attracts scoundrels by offering federally-qualified clinics $650,000 in start-up money, along with enhanced Medicaid payments and free medical malpractice coverage from the federal government. That competes with local physicians, who ironically must pay the taxes to fund them.
            So she decides that real charity is individualized, assertive and gradual, and the poor will be better served when Medicaid is ended and the community rises up to rescue them from their conditions.

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