Is it unethical for a doctor to refuse Medicaid and Medicare patients?

[cbayer]

52. So would you take a job where you didn't get paid?

This is a reality for many primary care, front line physicians.

Physicians give away a lot of care. Many of the patients that come to the emergency room can not every pay a cent and they are cared for. Patients who are hospitalized often use up their benefits or have no insurance and physicians treat them for free all the time.

In order to make this possible, many have found themselves unable to take on new patients who have inadequate coverage. FWIW, medicaid is almost always inadequate.

Less and less people are applying to medical school and those that go are coming out with higher and higher debt. They also want to specialize in areas where they know the reimbursement will be good and the time demands/risks lower. When the ACC kicks in, we will see a primary care physician shortage that is going to be a full blown crisis.

Blaming the front line providers is wrong. The blame lies squarely on the shoulders of those that set the reimbursement schedules.