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For those of us approaching sixty five, Medicare insurance will be our main coverage. But our health insurance coverage may be jeopardized. According to an article by the New York Times, many more doctors are opting out of Medicare.

Doctors who are enrolled with Medicare fall into the categories "participating and nonparticipating". Participating doctors get paid more by Medicare, where nonparticipating doctors receive a lower reimbursement from Medicare and the patient has to pick up more of the bill.

Older Americans need to find out which doctors accept Medicare, and the sooner the better. To find a doctor who accepts Medicare visit the website www.medicare.gov for a list of enrolled doctors. Local hospitals and state medical societies also have online directories for doctors.

Still, you need to check with each doctor because they may not be accepting new patients. Also, urgent care centers are staffed by a majority of doctors who do take Medicare. You can check with an urgent care physician and ask if he or she is willing to accept a new Medicare patient.