Medicare patients have greater access to physician care

Medicare provides access to physician care that is equal to or even better than care available to Americans with private plans, according to a survey conducted in September 2010 from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).

According to MedPAC, 83% of Medicare patients reported that they “never” had to wait longer than they desired to see a doctor for illness or injury, compared with 80% for Americans who were privately insured and between the ages of 50 and 64. Of the 7% of Medicare patients who sought a new primary care physician in 2010, 79% reported no problems, compared with 69% of privately insured Americans. Thus, only 1.5% of Medicare beneficiaries experienced any difficulty in finding a new primary care doctor in 2010, compared with approximately 2.2% of privately insured Americans.