Most physicians support Medicaid work requirements

 

Almost 75% of physicians support the new federal policy that permits states to attach work requirements to Medicaid participation, according to a survey by physician recruitment firm Merritt Hawkins.

“Many physicians have been frustrated for years because Medicaid often pays less than their costs of providing care. Physicians have to limit the number of Medicaid patients they treat for that reason and want to focus on those who need care the most,” Travis Singleton, executive vice president of Merritt Hawkins, said in a statement.

Almost 57% of the 667 physicians who completed the survey said that they felt very favorably about the new regulation, and nearly 18% said that they felt somewhat favorably. On the negative side, just over 9% of physicians said that they felt very unfavorably about the work requirement policy and slightly more than 8% reported feeling somewhat unfavorably. Another 8% said that they felt neither favorable nor unfavorable, Merritt Hawkins reported.

Kentucky, Indiana, and Arkansas currently are in the process of putting the work requirements into place. Kentucky’s policy will require able-bodied Medicaid applicants aged 19-64 years to do 80 hours of community engagement a month by working, going to school, training for a job, or volunteering, the company said.

The survey, which was conducted by email in early March, had a margin of error of less than 1%.

rfranki@mdedge.com

 

Almost 75% of physicians support the new federal policy that permits states to attach work requirements to Medicaid participation, according to a survey by physician recruitment firm Merritt Hawkins.

“Many physicians have been frustrated for years because Medicaid often pays less than their costs of providing care. Physicians have to limit the number of Medicaid patients they treat for that reason and want to focus on those who need care the most,” Travis Singleton, executive vice president of Merritt Hawkins, said in a statement.

Almost 57% of the 667 physicians who completed the survey said that they felt very favorably about the new regulation, and nearly 18% said that they felt somewhat favorably. On the negative side, just over 9% of physicians said that they felt very unfavorably about the work requirement policy and slightly more than 8% reported feeling somewhat unfavorably. Another 8% said that they felt neither favorable nor unfavorable, Merritt Hawkins reported.

Kentucky, Indiana, and Arkansas currently are in the process of putting the work requirements into place. Kentucky’s policy will require able-bodied Medicaid applicants aged 19-64 years to do 80 hours of community engagement a month by working, going to school, training for a job, or volunteering, the company said.

The survey, which was conducted by email in early March, had a margin of error of less than 1%.

rfranki@mdedge.com

 

Almost 75% of physicians support the new federal policy that permits states to attach work requirements to Medicaid participation, according to a survey by physician recruitment firm Merritt Hawkins.

“Many physicians have been frustrated for years because Medicaid often pays less than their costs of providing care. Physicians have to limit the number of Medicaid patients they treat for that reason and want to focus on those who need care the most,” Travis Singleton, executive vice president of Merritt Hawkins, said in a statement.

Almost 57% of the 667 physicians who completed the survey said that they felt very favorably about the new regulation, and nearly 18% said that they felt somewhat favorably. On the negative side, just over 9% of physicians said that they felt very unfavorably about the work requirement policy and slightly more than 8% reported feeling somewhat unfavorably. Another 8% said that they felt neither favorable nor unfavorable, Merritt Hawkins reported.

Kentucky, Indiana, and Arkansas currently are in the process of putting the work requirements into place. Kentucky’s policy will require able-bodied Medicaid applicants aged 19-64 years to do 80 hours of community engagement a month by working, going to school, training for a job, or volunteering, the company said.

The survey, which was conducted by email in early March, had a margin of error of less than 1%.

rfranki@mdedge.com