Study Finds Almost Half Of Health Law Plans Offer Very Limited Physician Networks

Kaiser Health News ^ | June 26, 2015 | By Michelle Andrews

[Oldeconomybuyer]

If the physician networks for plans sold on the health law’s online insurance exchanges were T-shirts, more than 40 percent would be size X-small or small. That’s the takeaway from a new study that analyzed nearly 400 physician networks in silver-level plans sold around the country in 2014.

The study labeled 11 percent of plans “extra small” because they covered fewer than 10 percent of physicians in a plan’s region. Another 30 percent were “small,” meaning they covered between 10 and 25 percent of physicians. Just 11 percent of plans were classified as “extra large” because they covered at least 60 percent of physicians in the area.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

[Buckeye McFrog]

We’ll reserve lamppost space for him. I’m thinking right between David Souter and Candy Crowley.

[TomGuy]

When the Medicare Advantage (private insurance companies providing Medicare coverage) began in my state, there were about a dozen providers and more than 2-dozen various plans.

For 2015, there were 4 providers — a couple of which are speciality providers and only about 3 viable plans.

==

If Congress does not repeal ObamaSCOTUScare as a whole, they will be ‘fixing’ it for decades, as more problem areas become known.

It still is not fully implemented. Look for more surprises next year.

[dila813]

its worse than that, there a sub specialties that require a doctor have multiple things, for example I needed a doctor that had a 3 in 1 for my treatment:
1. Ear Nose and Throat
2. Admitting Rights to a Hospital
3. Surgical Specialty for the head

My Obamacare Plan has only a single Doctor in the entire state that meets this criteria.

Anyone needing the same thing will have to travel hours requiring them to take off work. To stay in a hotel during recovery since it is still classified as outpatient surgery. Recovery time is 2-4 weeks.

None of that is included into the cost of your healthcare now, this wasn’t the case before Obamacare. This is all new cost.

[originalbuckeye]

Oh, we all need to calm down.....it's all part of the plan for when the Government takes total control pf our lives. No one has even researched the ‘guidelines’ by which medical students will now be controlled. Where they go to school, what they will practice, and WHO WILL PAY FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL......in Obamacare, doctors will not be payed near as much, there will not be near as many ‘specialty’ doctors as the Government will push the General Practitioners ‘specialty’. Doctors will not be able to pay back student loans without a good income.......Obamacare is destroying our entire medical system from the inside. Someone needs to drive a stake through the heart and start over.

[originalbuckeye]

Oh, I forgot one more aspect. Remember Hillarycare? Government health care will also dictate WHERE our newly minted doctors will have to set up practice, all for the privilege of being a doctor.

[Vigilanteman]

So? How else are quacks supposed to earn a living?

If people had choices, they wouldn't go to them.

[17th Miss Regt]

None of that is included into the cost of your healthcare now, this wasn’t the case before Obamacare. This is all new cost.

Thanks, Barack!

[Dawn53Fl]

I have a friend and they have a Blue Cross plan through Obamacare. Their 14 year old daughter needed to see a Pediatric Gynecologist. There was only 1 doctor with that specialty in their area, and she was not on their plan. The situation was urgent and so they had to use the uncovered doctor.

You mentioned your situation, and there must be that kind of problem happening on a pretty regular basis.

Folks who have Obamacare have told me you get a list of doctors who accept the plan, but when you start calling to make an appt. most say they don’t accept the plan.