To boost primary care physician pay, Congress should change funding requirements for Medicaid state-directed payments

KevinMD February 15, 2025
Alexander Gajewski, MD

Introduction

It is no secret that the U.S. medical system fails to treat all patients equally. Those with Medicaid often lack access to the same primary care and subspecialty clinics as those with Medicare or private insurance and face longer wait times. Medicaid is jointly funded by the states and federal government. The solution is to increase Medicaid reimbursement. Of course, in my home state, Texas, and many others like it, this policy is a political nonstarter. The most frequently discussed alternative route—a federal mandate for higher Medicaid reimbursement—would present a major threat to state budgets. Circumventing these restrictions, many hospital systems around the country found a way to pull down extra federal Medicaid dollars without sending a bill to...

Today's Sponsors

Today's Sponsor