Many Physicians Lose Money on Medicaid Patients

So let's expand the program!

Dr. Donald Condit is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hand abnormalities. He would like to accept more patients on Medicaid but says he can't because the costs are too high and the reimbursements too low.

"Medicaid pays us way below what it costs us to take care of [patients]," Condit said.

He said Medicaid reimbursements are 22 cents to 25 cents on the dollar compared to what it costs to take care of a patient. Since office overhead alone is 30 percent to 50 percent, it puts a lot of pressure on doctors to stop accepting patients on Medicaid.

Gov. Rick Snyder, some state Republicans and state Democrats want to expand Medicaid coverage in Michigan, which is a key provision toward implementing Obamacare.