Business
Minnesota campaigns for safety-net payment hike
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 5, 2009
Minnesota Medical Assn. leaders met recently with state lawmakers as part of a campaign to increase health care safety-net payment rates. The MMA says the rates have been mostly flat in the past 16 years while practice costs have increased dramatically.
The campaign's goal is to eventually win a payment hike for physicians who care for patients covered by the state's Medicaid, MinnesotaCare, Medical Assistance and General Assistance Medical Care programs.
MMA says Minnesota doctors received only one payment hike, 3% in 1999, while the consumer price index has increased more than 21% since then. The organization says Minnesota's reimbursements for office visits and evaluation and management services are considerably lower than those in neighboring states South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/01/05/bibf0105.htm.
