when it comes to Medicaid.....

[KellyHabersham]

.....please DO NOT tell me or act like I "don't know what I am talking about". I can't speak for every state, but the following IS true about my state's Medicaid program:

- there are several services (dental, vision, and hearing being examples) which Medicaid won't/doesn't cover for people over 21.

- not every doctor's office accepts Medicaid. If they do not, and you are on Medicaid, then they aren't allowed to write you prescriptions. (I heard this from my own doctor)

- I am NOT confusing Medicaid with Medicare. I am too young to even be on the latter program.

[HYHYBT]

We only accept Medicaid as a secondary insurance, mainly because they pull every trick including flat out lying as reasons not to pay claims. ("Missing/incomplete/invalid primary diagnosis," my ass. Especially since the primary had no problem with the claim.) Between that and how little they pay when they pay at all, if we got too many Medicaid patients, we couldn't keep the doors open. I don't know how anyone manages it.

And no, you're right: since we don't take it as primary, we cannot see you if that's what you have. (Or, rather, as I understand it, we could see you, but we couldn't charge you, so we're not going to see you.) I hate that, but blame the state, not the practice... and, especially, when you're told we don't take Medicaid, don't call back later and lie that you have no insurance at all. We do take cash patients, but if we take you that way and then Medicaid finds out, we're in trouble.