How can I find an OB/GYN who takes Medicaid?

In many places it's hard to find a doctor who'll treat Medicaid patients -- as you've found out. That's because Medicaid pays doctors a lower amount per visit than Medicare or private insurance. The Medicaid program itself doesn't provide any simple way to find a doctor, but two other routes may help you out.

First, every state and county medical association maintains a physician referral service. To get to the service, go online to any search engine and enter the words "medical association" and the name of your state or county. Once you get to the state or county medical association's web site, look for its physician referral service (sometimes called "Physician Finder" or a similar name). Once you get to the specific page or site for the referral service, it will offer categories by physician specialty, and by physicians who accept Medicaid patients.

Another place to go for a referral is the State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) or Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP), non-profit counseling services that provide free, expert assistance with questions regarding health insurance, including Medicaid. Get the number of the state office of SHIP or HICAP from the Medicare web site's directory; the state office can then direct you to the local office nearest you.