Look for a doctor who treats you like a person, not a number.
Medicaid and Medicare are programs designed to ease the financial burden in obtaining quality healthcare. However, not all doctors accept these programs as a means of payment due to the additional work involved in obtaining payment for their services. It is therefore necessary to seek out those physicians and specialists who do accept these programs
Online Search Service
Search an online service of doctors who accept Medicaid and Medicare patients. Use only reputable sites to avoid wasting your time. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers an online searchable database through their healthcare site (healthcare.gov) where users can locate local doctors. After arriving at the website, select your state, city or zip code. The page will then display a list of doctors accepting patients in your area. The list will appear either alphabetically or according to the doctor nearest to you.
Medicaid and Medicare Search
While Medicaid and Medicare are both programs designed to provide medical care coverage, the programs differ substantially and are therefore separate entities. Medicaid is a state-administered program designed to provide medical coverage to low-income individuals and families. Medicare is a federally-administered program that provides medical coverage for individuals ages 65 and older, and disabled persons. To locate a doctor who offers Medicare, visit the Medicare website (medicare.gov) and complete the form located under "Find doctors & other health professionals." To locate a doctor who offers Medicaid, visit the national Medicaid site (medicaid.gov) and search state programs.
Call Around
For individuals with limited or no access to the Internet, you can locate physicians and clinics in the phone book and call to see which of these offer Medicaid or Medicare. You will have to find a practitioner who is both accepting new patients and accepting the program that is relevant to you. Once you have found a potential doctor, enroll your family together because doctors do not continuously accept new patients.
Special Services
General medical care is not the only service covered under the Medicaid and Medicare programs. Sometimes, it is necessary to see a specialist in the medical field, such as an otolaryngologist, dermatologist or obstetrician. To locate a specialist that accepts these government-funded programs, search the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services healthcare website. The department can also help you locate hospitals and clinics that accept patients with Medicare or Medicaid.
