Latest / The Fiscal Policy Podcast with Fexingo: Government Budgets, Stimulus, and Public Spending
How the Federal Government Pays Doctors Below Market Rates
Episode 104 of The Fiscal Policy Podcast with Fexingo digs into a specific, underreported feature of US healthcare spending: the federal government sets reimbursement rates for doctors through Medicare and Medicaid that are often 20 to 30 percent below what private insurers pay. Lucas and Luna walk through why this gap exists, how it shifts costs onto private premiums, and what it means for patients trying to find a doctor who accepts new patients. The episode uses the actual numbers from the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and contrasts them with commercial rates in a mid-sized city…
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