Discussions about Medicare and Medicaid on Sermo

If you're a physician in the United States, you may be interested to hear what other US physicians are talking about on the Internet. Sermo is one such Internet community where physicians openly discuss anything and everything. One of the more recent discussions focuses on Medicare and Medicaid. A US physician asks, " Are you still accepting Medicaid or Medicare Patients?"

As I read the comments posted by various physicians across different specialties, I am reminded of the fact that the US population is aging and more patients will rely on the Medicare system to receive their health care. These individuals will not have a single health issue when they're over 65. There's a greater probability that they will have multiple health conditions and they will require several different medications to control their high blood pressure, diabetes/pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, etc. Will Medicare be sufficient? Also, if the public option becomes a reality, then this may significantly impact physician attitudes about all types of government-sponsored health plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. Will the public option drive more physicians to drop Medicare?

If you haven't joined Sermo yet, you're missing some very fascinating discussions.