New data from the CDC reveals 8.4 percent of primary care physicians overall did not accept new patients in 2013.
However, broken down by patients' payment source, the data tells a different story. More than one third — 35 percent — of physicians did not accept new Medicaid patients in 2013. This is more than the 27.7 percent of physicians who did not accept new Medicare patients and significantly more than the 19.3 percent of physicians who did not accept new privately insured patients.
It is important to note HealthCare.gov coverage and Medicaid expansion did not officially begin until January 2014, so these numbers may have significantly changed since 2013 as more patients gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
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