A new survey from MerrittHawkins shows that 53% of physicians across 15 major metropolitan areas accept Medicaid patients, up from a low of 45.7% in 2014, per Forbes.

The uptick is largely due to state Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, something that many moderate Republicans want to retain in the upcoming repeal battle.

The big picture: It's still hard to find doctors who take Medicaid patients, despite the improvement in this report. That's a frequent Republican criticism of Medicaid — though experts have warned that the GOP's proposed budget cuts to the program aren't going to help.