New York seniors are facing what the state’s AARP is calling a “horrible situation” as they make a difficult decision: lose their current Medicare Advantage plan or lose their current doctor.
The New York Post reports that insurance companies are notifying current Medicare Advantage enrollees that they are kicking doctors off of their plans, and by the thousands. For example, UnitedHealthcare is booting 2,100 doctors in the New York City metropolitan area alone.
Both doctors and patients expressed concerns about the development, which was prompted by cuts to the Medicare Advantage program under Obamacare. “Obama had said I could keep my doctor. Now they’re doing away with my doctor,” said one Brooklyn resident, who shared the same frustration as other shocked patients. “Of course I want to keep [my doctor]. I don’t see why they want to push him out,” said another resident.
Ultimately, a Long Island doctor said, “the people who lose out are the patients” under the new changes.
The New York State Medical Society’s president is calling for a congressional probe on the situation that could affect the nearly 900,000 seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage in the state.