By Kelley Weiss
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-591817.mp3
Kansas City, MO – The recently passed Missouri Medicaid bill has built in protection for doctors providing charitable care. KCUR's Kelley Weiss reports.
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Dr. Lancer Gates says he signed up to give free patient care now that he knows he won't be personally sued for malpractice. Gates will join more than 100 doctors already volunteering services through the Northland CARE/MetroCARE network - it connects uninsured patients with charitable care. Gates says doctors have malpractice insurance for their for-fee services and now they'll have free care coverage as well.
Dr. Lancer Gates: "It does reassure those physicians that are stepping up to provide charitable care with the comfort of knowing that they are not going to have these lawsuits filed against their personal liability policy."
Gates says about 10 percent of a doctor's services are discounted or free. The changes to the state's Medicaid program, he says, expands the State Legal Expense Fund to cover the lawsuit costs for any doctors sued while giving charitable care up to $1 million. But, he says those lawsuits rarely happen.
Funding for health care coverage on KCUR has been provided by the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
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