Optometrists and other doctors in California say they elected to stop seeing Medicaid patients because the compensation they received could not keep their lights on.
When Hunter Morgan bought an optometry practice in Southern California three years ago, one of the first things he did was start seeing patients who use Medicaid — the government-funded health insurance program for low-income people. The previous owners had not accepted patients on Medicaid, which covers roughly a third of California's 39 million residents. But Morgan felt he had a responsibility to serve people in need.
We couldn't function that way,' he said. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Democratic allies in the state Legislature have greatly increased the number of people on Medicaid, including all eligible adults in the state who are in the country without legal permission. But while California's Medicaid now covers some 15 million people, the rates it pays to doctors have not kept up.
At one eye care practice in the city, Fogg Remington, Medicaid patients historically made up about 15% of clients. But it stopped accepting new Medicaid patients in January, citing low rates and a new law requiring health care workers to be paid at least $25 per hour. Fogg Remington optometrist Dr. Anthony Chavez said that if California were to increase its rates, it would be a 'no brainer' to reverse that decision. 'We want to help these people,' Chavez said.
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