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[ideagirl]

Are there any websites that provide information on health professionals who DO accept patients' health insurance?

The only relevant website for you is probably your insurance company's website, which probably has a searchable list of doctors who accept that insurance. Websites that just display doctors who do accept insurance in general... I've never seen one and it wouldn't be useful to you, because what you need to know is which doctors accept YOUR insurance.

Any chance you can emigrate to Canada? I'm serious, it's a viable option in many cases, and not all that difficult for the well educated and/or highly skilled.

[dellaroux]

I meant to mention also that certain politically-motivated MDs have started refusing certain kinds of patients just to express opinions about healthcare changes that in fact have nothing to do with the so-called "Obamacare" packages.

The indicators are that they do this simply to add to the fear tactics their political confreres (and con-soeurs) keep drumming up--to try to herd the lemmings back near the cliff and over into the sea of "all-will-then-be-well," "only-us-on-the-playground" Republicanism.

If that's what you're dealing with, that is even more serious and has, I think, the possibility to become an even longer-standing trend (in which case, we might all do better moving to Canada, or Belgium, or France, or Germany, or....).

Best to understand what you're up against, in any case.

[pigou]

My response may have seemed harsh, but it was given with the best of intentions. Questioning the system isn't of much value, because we all know it needs significant changes. But they aren't going to happen over night. Just look at how long it took to pass recent health care reform, which is going to do some good, but will require further improvements still.

For what it's worth, the burden imposed on doctor's offices from Medicare are tremendous. To the point where a single doctor likely needs a full-time staff member to deal with administrative requirements. It's easy to have low administrative costs if you shift them to the provider (one reason why that measure isn't as important as many people think). Add to that reimbursement rates that in some cases don't even cover costs, and the question arises why you should even accept those patients. Especially when you already have to turn down (paying) patients.

Other insurance companies may be no less stingy, and again it comes down to incentives: if you can earn enough from people who will pay out of pocket (and/or have generous insurance plans), then of course you'd only take those.

You cannot force doctors to treat patients at a loss... they're not running a charity. So either compensate them adequately, reduce bureaucracy, or accept the consequences. The people as a whole seem unwilling to do any of it - they want costs to go down, demand more action to reduce fraud (which almost always means more bureaucracy), and god forbid they don't get exactly what they demand. Sorry, that's just not going to happen - no matter what system you choose.

[navelgazer]

I just got private health insurance about 9-months ago. I made sure I compared all the different insurance companies as well as making sure my current doctors and potential future doctors and hospitals were in network. You can go to any doctor you choose, but they don't have to accept your insurance if they don't want to. Those doctors are what you call out-of-network. Just do your homework when choosing your insurance and when choosing a doctor.

From the OP: Oh, by the way, I chose the best health insurance provided where I worked. I currently am on COBRA, which is not cheap, since the temporary position I now have does not provide any benefits.

If we all can acknowledge that the health care system in the US is very, very messed up right now, we need to realize that the OP is not the only one at fault here. I have never had a chronic illness, but I know plenty of people who have. The physician you see is very important.

[anon11]

Navelgazer is right.

Take psychiatry for example, where I have recent data. In my large metropolitan area, the wait to get in to see any psychiatric provider is 2-3 months.  About 1/3 of psychiatrists are opting out of insurance altogether because of poor reimbursement and the continual hassle to get services approved and claims paid by the insurance companies. In a specialty clinic where I work (not psychiatry) we expect to submit claims to a certain insurance company three times before getting paid. With each refusal, the insurance company requests the physician or provider to fill out more forms and send more documentation, even though the claims are never questioned. It's just a delaying tactic. Consequently, more providers are opting out of the current insurance system altogether.

If the rest of the medical profession goes the same route as the growing number of psychiatrists that are opting out, we will go back to the system that we had 40-50 years ago where the patient pays the bill, then seeks reimbursement from the insurance company.  Not much progress.