Milwaukee Area Physicians to See Major Pay Cut Without Immediate Legislative Action

Milwaukee: In 3 days primary care physicians across Wisconsin are set to lose 45.8% of their reimbursements from Medicaid patients unless the Walker and the State Legislature join 15 states in continuing enhanced reimbursement levels that were included in the Affordable Care Act. Failure to continue Medicaid primary care reimbursements at the current level would mean a cut for up to 1,439 primary care physicians in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties.

“Creating a value-based health care system that prioritizes preventive care means investing in primary care doctors,” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. “The Walker Administration and the conservative Legislature’s refusal to build upon the Affordable Care Act is once again damaging health care access and quality in Wisconsin.”

1 – Primary care physicians include non-federal, practicing physicians (M.D.’s and D.O.’s) under age 75 specializing in general practice medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. Source for all 72 counties

2 – Total county population per physician. Source

3 – Total Medicaid coverage by county, November 2014 estimates. Source

Already 15 states that have taken action to continue enhanced physician Medicaid reimbursement, with more states considering the action. This includes both states that have accepted enhanced federal Medicaid funds and those that have rejected them. Alabama, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, and South Carolina have all rejected the enhanced federal Medicaid funding to cover low and moderate income residents yet have continued enhanced physician reimbursement. Wisconsin must take this course of action soon or thousands of Wisconsin physicians will experience more financial strain when seeking to cover Medicaid patients. This risks reducing timely access for Medicaid beneficiaries to primary care services.

The Affordable Care Act increased the reimbursement level of Medicaid for primary care physicians to increase the ability of patients to access primary care. This increase was temporary, ending at the end of December, while giving state’s the ability to take these additional reimbursement amounts on themselves. The Federal government also freed states up to cover this cost by taking on the cost of the uninsured population, but primarily in states that accepted federal Medicaid funds. Had Wisconsin accepted the enhanced federal Medicaid funds, Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates show the upcoming 2015-2017 state budget alone would save $315 million and more over time.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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