Study: Medicaid expansion boosts Michigan’s economy and will more than pay for itself

The Oregon study on their Medicaid expansion found that people on Medicaid are still using the ER as their primary source of care, because most primary care physicians will not accept Medicaid.

I actually have an anecdote that relates to this. I was one of the first enrollees in the Healthy Michigan Plan, as I was kicked off of my parents insurance shortly before that (turned 27). As luck would have it, a couple months after that I dislocated my ankle on a camping trip. So I went to the ER, the doctor on call took some x-rays and built me a splint, and told me to go find an orthopedic surgeon to take a closer look. No references, of course. So, I go to my McLaren's handy-dandy list of orthopedic doctors that accept Medicaid in SE Michigan, and I start calling. 3 week wait. 5 week wait. Ooh, 2 week wait, but the dude is in fucking Chelsea (I live in north Oakland County). Finally, I break down to one of the 8-10 receptionists I was talking to, and explain my plight. Lucky for me, she happened to know about a brand-new office that had just been established at one of the floors at the McLaren hospital in downtown Pontiac, that was only accepting McLaren Medicaid patients, I would be able to see a doctor in 2 days. So I did, and I got everything I needed (including a reference to a physical therapist that accepted Medicaid, close to my home). I was finally able to get the treatment that I needed in a reasonable amount of time, after calling 10 doctors' offices, suffering a nervous breakdown wondering if I was going be walking on a bum ankle the rest of my life, and only by the grace and circumstance of McLaren opening up a floor at one of their hospitals for Medicaid patients. So yeah, I can see how the Medicaid expansion could be running into serious problems in terms of improving general health outcomes.

/r/Michigan Thread Parent Link - scienmag.com