The American Medical Association researched physicians' total patient mix.
Here are the findings:
1. Compared to 2012, uninsured patients made up a smaller percentage of physicians' total patient mix in 2016. David O. Barbe, MD, AMA president, noted the boost in insured patients mainly occurred in states with expanded Medicaid programs under the ACA.
2. The research revealed 75.6 percent of physicians were in practices with uninsured patients in 2016, down from 82.3 percent in 2012.
3. AMA reported the 2016 average share of uninsured patients in a practice was 6.1 percent of the total patient mix. This compared to 6.9 percent in 2012.
4. The analysis showed the Medicaid patient population rose. In those states with expanded Medicaid, the average Medicaid patient share increased to 17.6 percent in 2016, up from 16.2 percent in 2012. The states that didn't expand Medicaid saw little to no change in the number of Medicaid patients between 2012 and 2016.
5. In 2016, coverage type mix was as follows:
• Private insurance — 43.4 percent
• Medicare — 29.3 percent
• Medicaid — 16.9 percent
• Workers compensation and other — 4.3 percent