Salinas, CA Retired Military Having A Tough Time Finding Doctors Which Take Tricare :

View From A Non-Profit Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California It's extremely difficult finding a physician which takes Medi-Cal because the government reimbursement rates are so paltry.  But now veterans are finding that they are in a similar situation as Medi-Cal recipients.  Their medical plan is called Tricare, and many who are on this plan are complaining they can't find a doctor because most don't see enough military families to get familiar with the system.  There are over 600,000 people that are on Tricare, everyone from military retirees to the National Guard and reservists as well as children with a parent away on active duty.  Although some physicians aren't taking the insurance because they aren't familiar with the billing, others are complaining about the low reimbursement rates, similar to the problem that we have with Medi-Cal.  According to the General Accountability Office (GAO), the number of private doctors accepting Tricare is trending downward.  This is a disturbing trend and one, unfortunately, that we have already seen with Medi-Cal.  Doctors in California and Texas are most likely to turn away Tricare patients, according to a recent report.  I feel terrible for the military retirees (70% of Tricare recipients are in this category) who have worked hard to serve their country and are now being abandoned by many doctors because the government isn't paying sufficient reimbursement rates.  Sadly, this is only likely to get worse as we go through more budget cutting. 

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.