Why We Don't Take Medicaid (And Where to Find Care If You Have It)

If you found us, you might be looking for an inclusive, trauma-informed, comfort-focused gynecology practice — and you have Medicaid. We're sorry we can't help you directly. We don't accept Medicaid, and we want to be honest about why, and useful about what to do next.

The Honest Answer

Medicaid programs come with extensive regulatory and compliance requirements — billing rules, audit obligations, documentation standards, and credentialing maintenance that go well beyond what commercial insurance demands. Meeting them properly costs a small practice tens of thousands of dollars a year in legal, administrative, and compliance support. For a single-provider practice without the volume to absorb that overhead, it's a barrier that's nearly impossible to clear without compromising the rest of the practice.

We've looked at it more than once. The math doesn't work right now — not because we don't want to participate, but because the compliance infrastructure is built for organizations much larger than ours.

That's not a satisfying answer if you're the patient on the other side of it. We know. We wish the system was structured differently.

Where to Look If You Have Medicaid

A few categories of providers in the DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia area commonly accept Medicaid. Specific coverage varies by plan and program, so please call ahead to verify before scheduling.

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) — community health centers that accept Medicaid by federal mandate and offer reproductive and gynecologic care. Sliding-scale fees are also available if you're uninsured. The HRSA "Find a Health Center" tool lists FQHCs near you.

National reproductive-health network clinics — the major nonprofit reproductive-health networks operate in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, accept Medicaid in those states, and provide full-spectrum gynecologic care including IUDs, birth control, STI testing, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming care at many locations.

Local health departments — county and DC health departments offer reproductive health services with sliding-scale or Medicaid coverage. Montgomery County, Prince George's County, DC, and the Northern Virginia counties all run reproductive-health programs.

Hospital resident clinics — most major hospital systems in the area accept Medicaid at their OB-GYN resident clinics. Care is supervised by attending physicians and is generally high quality. Wait times can be longer than at a private practice.

LGBTQIA+ community health centers — several community health centers in the DC area specialize in primary and gynecologic care for queer and trans patients and accept Medicaid. Calling ahead to ask about specific provider experience is reasonable and won't be considered rude.

What If You're Stuck Between Insurances?

If you've recently lost commercial coverage and are between plans, or you're in the middle of a Medicaid renewal, get in touch. We may be able to schedule you on a self-pay basis temporarily, or help you figure out a bridge to care.

What We Can Still Offer

Even though we can't take Medicaid as your insurance, we're happy to:

• Answer questions about menopause, gynecology, IUDs, or other topics via [contact form](/contact)
• Refer you to specific providers we know and trust (within the limits of what we know about who's currently taking patients)
• Talk through your options if you're between plans and considering self-pay for a specific visit

We Hope This Changes

Reimbursement rates aren't fixed forever. Practice economics change. We're keeping this on our list and we'll be transparent if anything changes.

Until then, we hope this list is useful, and we wish you good care wherever you end up.

Send us a message if you'd like a referral or have questions. You can also read about what insurance covers for menopause care if you're trying to understand your options.