NJ doctors rank last in nation in accepting new Medicaid patients

New Jersey has the nation's lowest percentage of doctors who accept Medicaid patients – while the state is anticipating the addition of more than 200,000 new patients to the program's rolls. Healthcare experts said it's not surprising that a wealthy state like New Jersey would face a shortage of doctors willing to take Medicaid, particularly because a promise of increased funding will expire after next year and since there are plenty of non-Medicaid patients in the state. In addition, doctors cited the cost of practicing primary care medicine in New Jersey, including high administrative costs and relatively low salaries compared to specialists.