Oct 29 2013
UnitedHealthcare is dropping 10 to 15 percent of its doctors from Medicare Advantage plans around the nation, a move that will force some seniors to find new doctors or change plans.
The Columbus Dispatch: Medicare Insurer UnitedHealthcare Cuts Doctor Network
UnitedHealthcare is dropping an undisclosed number of doctors from its Medicare Advantage provider network in Ohio, which will force some senior citizens to find new physicians or change plans, according to a physician-advocacy group. "This is one of the most significant (provider) network narrowings we've ever seen in the Medicare Advantage world," said Todd Baker, director of professional relations with the Ohio State Medical Association. He said physicians have been receiving termination letters from UnitedHealthcare for about six weeks (Sutherly, 10/26).
The Newark Star-Ledger: UnitedHealthcare Drops 10-15 Percent Of Its Doctors In Medicare Advantage Plans
UnitedHealthcare this month began terminating contracts with physicians across the nation who participate in the Medicare Advantage plans, alarming doctors who say the move will disrupt their relationships with patients and make care harder to find. A UnitedHealthcare spokeswoman said the company is dropping 10 to 15 percent of its physicians nationwide, although she declined to say how many are affected in New Jersey. Doing so will save money and improve care, spokeswoman Mary McElrath-Jones (Livio, 10/26).
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 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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Rising health costs push some middle-aged adults to skip the doc until Medicare