Co-pays for Medicaid Patients

Dear Editor,
Yesterday you reported in “California could pose problem for Obama's healthcare reform” (Los Angles Times, September 15, 2011) that cost sharing for Medicaid is tightly restricted because it can discourage people from seeking needed care. People may not realize that RAND has already done credible research studying theses effects. It was found that higher co-pays result in slightly less doctor visits, but overall health outcomes were comparable with no co-pays.

Agreeable charging Medicaid patients too much is like squeezing blood out of a turnip; however, if a small increase in co-pays can help off set some cost, keep hospital and doctors doors open to these patients, all while having the same health outcomes, this seems like a no brainer to me. Legislators should look at the data and the factors that actually affect care seeking-behavior and promote preventative healthcare, rather than costly emergency and hospital stays to Medicaid patients, saving California money in the end.

Sincerely,

Shannon Lance

Berkeley Ca, 94707