Americans covered by the Affordable Care Act may run into problems finding doctors, as some physicians are refusing to see patients who are covered solely by "Obamacare," The Telegraph reported.
Nearly 1 million Florida residents enrolled in private health care plans through the ACA state exchange, but some are discovering doctors won't work with their coverage, even when the physicians are included in the plan's provider network.
Fears include not being paid by the insurer or the patient for services rendered and that insurers are not fully informing doctors of their inclusion in ACA plan networks.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Miranda Childe of Hallandale Beach, Fla., said she ran into many obstacles when trying to pick a doctor of her choice out of her plan's provider network. Physicians in South Florida repeatedly told her they wouldn't accept patients who were covered by ACA plans.
Sal Morales, who lost his employer-provided health insurance in the fall when he was laid off from his job, said he has been turned away by three primary care doctors in his provider network. One office, he told the paper, humiliated him and guilted him about having the coverage he has.
It's unknown how many Floridians who selected private plans have been shown the door by doctors within their network, but the state's Department of Financial Services reported receiving 63 complaints from residents who bought an ACA exchange plan, but would not be accepted by a physician in their network.
Meanwhile in New York, some doctors are refusing the coverage as well. A survey by the state's Medical Society, as reported by the IJ Review reported 44 percent of doctors in the state are not participating in the ACA, 23 percent said they will accept ACA patients and 33 percent said they are unsure.
CBS reported in December that the Obama administration announced 2.1 million Americans have signed up for health insurance through the federal exchanges either at healthcare.gov or at state-run sites.
