Medicaid expansion has given thousands of Virginia patients access to new health coverage.  Medicaid’s success in Virginia is depends on patients having broad access to care.  Medicaid’s low reimbursement rates make it unsustainable for some medical practices to employ, support, and retain the team needed to care for these patients.

Increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates is a proven policy solution to increase access for patients. 

• 2018 study in the Journal of the American academy of Pediatrics¹: “Office-based primary care pediatricians increased their Medicaid participation after the payment increase.”

• Studies from Stanford University and the New England Journal of Medicine confirm increasing Medicaid reimbursement for primary care providers increase health care access.

MSV’s Position on Medicaid

The Medical Society of Virginia supports increasing Medicaid reimbursement levels to increase physician participation in the program and to expand access to care in underserved areas.

MSV supported increasing patient access for Medicaid patients through a 2019 Senate budget amendment (Item 303 #1s). This amendment increased the reimbursement rates for physicians currently reimbursed below 70% of Medicare. This included:

• anesthesia,
• primary and preventive care, and
• emergency medicine. 

A provision included in the budget also raised Medicaid rates for mental health providers up to 100% of Medicare rates.

These increases were due to the leadership of Del. Scott Garrett, MD and Sen. Emmett Hanger. MSV will pursue similar legislation in upcoming legislative sessions.

Resources

Medicaid Reimbursement Support Letter to the Governor

Take Action

• Sign up for the 2020 Lobby Days
• Join the White Coats on Call 365 Program

^{1Suk-fong, S. T., Hudak, M. L., Cooley, D. M., Shenkin, B. N., & Racine, A. D. (2018). Increased Medicaid payment and participation by office-based primary care pediatricians. Pediatrics, 141(1), e20172570.}