Controversial Money Saving Plan up for Hearing

A hearing this morning looks at one idea to save the state some Health and Human Services money. One way the Health and Human Services Commission would meet a five percent budget reduction is reducing Medicaid reimbursement rates for doctors by one percent, something as you might imagine doctors don't favor. "We've had a serious decline in Medicaid participation by doctors since the year 2000. Back then we had about two thirds of the doctors accepting new Medicaid patients." Dr. John Holcomb says this proposed cut could mean those participation rates dropping below 40 percent, where they are now, and that would mean Medicaid patients would have to look harder to find a doctor.