Health insurance does not guarantee access to primary care: a national study of physicians' acceptance of publicly insured patients.

The roles of reimbursement and other predictors that affect physicians' willingness to accept publicly insured continuing care patients were examined in a national survey. The response rate was 47%. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents were accepting new patients. Forty-two percent of these physicians were willing to accept new continuing care patients insured by Medicaid, 70% reported accepting those paying by Medicare assignment, and 85% said they accept patients covered by Medicare plus balance-billing payments. Low reimbursement was the strongest predictor for lack of acceptance. The results suggest that systems of multitiered reimbursement are associated with diminished access for patients insured in the lower tiers.