2011 survey: Nearly a third of physicians unwilling to accept new Medicaid patients

In a recent survey, 31 percent of physicians indicated that they were unwilling to accept any new Medicaid patients. An article in the Health Affairs disseminated data from the 2011 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Health care practitioners in metropolitan areas or smaller institutions more often responded that they would not accept new Medicaid patients compared to those who practiced in states with higher Medicaid-to-Medicare fee ratios.  According to the survey, 17 percent of respondents would not accept new Medicare patients and 18 percent would not accept new privately insured patients.