Tag: Doctor Shortage

  • Dental Program for Low-Income Californians Gains Patients While Losing Dentists

    By Kenny Goldberg California’s dental program for the poor is falling short. A new state review of the Denti-Cal program, shows between 2009 and 2014, the number of children enrolled in the Denti-Cal program increased by nearly 40 percent. But the number of dentists who treated Denti-Cal patients decreased by almost 14 percent. Denti-Cal pays…

  • Complaints Alleging Poor Access to Care Prompt Medi-Cal Audit

    By Kenny Goldberg More than 7 million people who have Medi-Cal coverage are enrolled in managed care plans. Lawmakers have ordered an audit because they say they’ve received numerous complaints from Medi-Cal patients who are having trouble getting care. California health officials say they haven’t found many problems. But a recent examination by the California…

  • Doctors Not Inundated With Newly Insured Patients

    By Kenny Goldberg Millions of previously uninsured Americans now have coverage thanks to Obamacare. But a new report finds most doctors haven’t seen a surge in new patient visits. The study comes from Athenahealth, a company that provides care coordination and practice management for doctors. The report examined data from more than 14,000 physicians nationwide.…

  • More Money for Medi-Cal, But Doctors’ Pay Cut Remains

    By Kenny Goldberg Thanks to Obamacare, more than 2 million additional Californians have signed up for Medi-Cal since last October. But it can be tough to find a doctor willing to treat them. That’s because the state cut the Medi-Cal pay rate by 10 percent, when California was in the depths of the recession. Anthony…

  • Doctors Praise Governor’s Move, But Say Medi-Cal Pay Still Too Low

    By Kenny Goldberg California Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget eliminates a planned 10 percent Medi-Cal payment cut that was to be retroactive to 2011. But it still preserves a 10 percent cut to Medi-Cal rates going forward. Approximately 8.5 million Californians have Medi-Cal coverage, including more than 350,000 people in San Diego County. And thanks…