Every physician with patients on Medicaid is now required to become expert in vocational and occupational assessment - something most doctors have no training, experience, or interest in. (thanks Dr Kertay)
That’s the real-world consequence of Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill, and a reminder to all that what sounds great and logical and sensible often is none of the above.
Republicans claim there’s a lot of freeloaders soaking up your tax dollars and driving Cadillacs to their doctors’ offices to get free healthcare - a claim that is total BS. Reality is the vast majority of Medicaid fraud is committed by providers - NOT patients.
Shockingly the OBBB had no meaningful provisions to address provider fraud…hmmmm….
More than two thirds of the folks on Medicaid are ALREADY working full or part-time at low-wage jobs and/or at small employers that don’t provide health insurance…think McDonald’s, WalMart, Amazon, construction laborers, cashiers, drivers, janitors, child care providers, wait staff and cooks where their employer rarely provides health coverage. (hat tip to Georgetown University)
More are in school or taking care of an ill or disabled family member.
Everyone else on Medicaid now has to prove they aren’t working because they…can’t. Which actually means their doctors have to certify they can’t work, a task that - as any workers’ comp doc can tell you - is no simple thing.
What training and education and experience does the patient have?
What physical limitations do they have?
What specific functions can the patient perform?
When one considers there are fully “disabled” folks working full time these days, the picture gets even cloudier…Hey, if (Person X) can work as a coder/art critic/political commentator why can’t Bubba or Jane do that?
What does this mean for you?
As the wait time in your doctor’s office gets longer, you now know why.
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