I am a medicaid patient and I am here to ask if anyone else is and what your experience has been AFTER surgery? I have a very good friend who had surgery in early 2010, her surgeon left less than a year later.

She was referred to a hospital over 60 miles away and even though there were 2 other doctors closer, she was told they wouldnt see her unless she would pay for each visit and each fill would cost her $150 or more, according....She has been 8 months now without a doctor, and this is all because medicaid wouldnt pay for her to go to the closer doctors, now she could go to the one farther away, but so far has chosen not to. But even if she did, she was told that medicaid will only pay for a certain amount of fills.

My doctor also told me she had one patient who had to have his band removed after a couple of years and medicaid wouldnt pay for that surgery, without alot of effort and jumping thru hoops, it took the man months to get medicaid to agree that it was a life saving surgery.

I am concerned that if any of these things should happen to me after my band, I will be in the same boat.

So, does anyone else have medicaid and have you had any problems,

Please share.

Okay I used to work for a doctor doing the billing.

A doctor CAN refuse to accept new Medicaid patients, BUT if they choose to take new patients and file your Medicaid then they CANNOT make you pay. Medicaid is a legally binding contract that says the doctor will accept what Medicaid is paying as payment in full and that he/she cannot bill the difference to the patient.

Now if you are on Medicaid and fills ARE NOT covered, then the doctor can charge you cash for them but only if you sign an agreement saying that you are a Medicaid patient and that you understand the fill is not covered and you are willing to pay cash for it.

What state are you in?

I know where I live doctors are starting to get out of the Medicaid network because Medicaid doesn't pay enough. If you can afford to pay cash for your fills though, you should be okay either way.

I have Medicare, and I drive over 100 miles one way to see my Dr...

You should contact medicaid in your state, and see who they recommend, or what they might recommend, and will it cover the fills at the Hospital that they recommend.

Also ask about aftercare if there is a problem, and see what they tell you.

Good Luck, Shirley.