A Texas Medical Association study shows the number of Texas doctors willing to accept government-funded health insurance plans for the poor and elderly is dropping dramatically.
Doctors are complaining about low payment and red tape.
Only 31 percent of Texas doctors said they were accepting all new patients who rely on Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and disabled. In 2010, the last time the survey was taken, that number was 42 percent.
The doctor's reluctance to take on new Medicaid patients comes as the new health care law proposes adding 6 million new people to the Medicaid rolls. The association, which has 46,000 members, conducts the survey of 1,000 doctors every two years. The association says greater efficiency and a fair payment system are needed.
