How Difficult is it for Medicare Beneficiaries to Find a Doctor?

One of the more common questions I get from my Medicare Plan clients is regarding their ability to find a doctor who accepts Medicare.  For those that elect Original Medicare and may have a Medicare Supplement, the answer is good news.  Even though there are many news reports that make it seem like doctors are not accepting Medicare, I found data that shows that 91% of doctors accept new Medicare patients on a national average.  I find that it is even higher for patients who continue to see their current doctor.  The data showed that only about 1% of doctors have “opted out” of Medicare.  I searched the internet and the best data I could find was from an article about a year and a half ago that used data collected in 2012.  I will try to keep my clients updated as new data is made available.  If you want to read more about the study, click on the link below.

http://kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/medicare-patients-access-to-physicians-a-synthesis-of-the-evidence/