Increasing Access of Patients with Medicaid to Medical & Surgical Specialty Care

MEDCHI, THE MARYLAND STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY
HOUSE OF DELEGATES

INTRODUCED BY: Montgomery County Medical Society

SUBJECT: Increasing Access of Patients with Medicaid to Medical & Surgical Specialty Care

REFERRED TO:

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  1. Whereas, MedChi has successfully advocated for increasing access to care for patients with
  2. Medicaid coverage for primary care through increasing payment for Evaluation & Management
  3. codes; and
  4.  
  5. Whereas, the number of primary care physicians participating in the Medicaid program has
  6. increased significantly from the increase in Medicaid E&M codes equivalent or almost equivalent
  7. to Medicare; and
  8.  
  9. Whereas, the challenge for patients with Medicaid coverage who have a primary care physician is
  10. the inability to get medical and surgical specialty care because these payments are significantly
  11. lower than Medicare; and
  12.  
  13. Whereas, patients with Medicaid coverage who have severe chronic and life-threatening conditions
  14. cannot be adequately treated without the expertise of medical and surgical specialists, therefore be
  15. it
  16.  
  17. RESOLVED, that MedChi, in order to increase patient access to medical and surgical specialists to
  18. address severe chronic and life-threatening medical conditions, work with the Maryland Secretary
  19. of Health to increase the Medicaid fee schedule for medical and surgical care to be equivalent to the
  20. Medicare fee schedule.