Doctor appointment availability varies by insurance type

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People’s chances of getting a new primary care doctor vary depending on their insurance, according to a new study. Researchers calling doctors’ offices and claiming to be a patient with private insurance had about an 85 percent success rate for getting appointments. Their success rate was about 58 percent when they claimed to have Medicaid, the government insurance for the poor. The high success rates for getting an appointment may bode well for the millions of Americans who recently gained insurance through the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare.