Medicaid pay hike opened doors for patients, study finds

Money talks. A temporary Medicaid pay raise that was part of President Barack Obama's health law made it easier for poor adults to get appointments with primary care doctors, according to a study published Wednesday. Paying more to doctors who participate in the federal-state insurance program for the poor usually improves access for patients, but the law's two-year limit on the raise, its slow rollout and other regulatory problems made many skeptical about how physicians would react to the extra money — which in many states equated to a 50 percent pay hike or more.