Obamacare: ‘I Couldn't Find Doctors That Would Talk To Me’

  Experts Say The Number Of ‘Extremely Discouraged’ Obamacare Enrollees Is Likely ‘To Grow As More Try To Schedule With Doctors’

INFAMOUS GUARANTEE: “…we will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period.” (President Obama, 6/15/09)

‘Consumers Are Finding Their Access Limited’

“...with insurance cards now in hand, consumers are finding their access limited across all price ranges — sometimes even after they were told their plan would include their current doctor.” (AP, 5/14/14)

CA Woman Who Lost Her Doctor: ‘I'm extremely discouraged’ “Before enrolling in a new health plan on California's exchange, [Michelle Pool] checked whether her longtime primary care doctor was covered. Pool, a 60-year-old diabetic who has had back surgery and a hip replacement, purchased the plan only to find that the insurer was mistaken… But after her insurance card came in the mail, the Vista, California resident learned her doctor wasn't taking her new insurance. ‘It's not fun when you've had a doctor for years and years that you can confide in and he knows you,’ Pool said. ‘I'm extremely discouraged. I'm stuck.’ The dilemma undercuts President Obama's 2009 pledge that: ‘If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period.’” (AP, 5/14/14)

TX Man: ‘It was a waste of money for me... I couldn't find doctors that would talk to me’ “James Potts' $647-per-month silver plan was issued by the same company that had insured him with a different plan cancelled under the Affordable Care Act. The 64-year-old property insurance agent assumed his doctors would remain the same under the insurer's new plan, but didn't double check. When Potts got a nasty cold, he called three facilities near his home in Wichita Falls, Texas, and was shocked to find none took the insurance, including his primary care doctor. ‘It was a waste of money for me,’ he said. ‘I couldn't find doctors that would talk to me.’” (AP, 5/14/14)

“[CA Insurance agent Craig] Gussin says that even after his mad-dash to make switches before the deadline, he still has a half-dozen clients who are stuck — and he expects the number to grow as more try to schedule with doctors. He and other agents fear it will be one of their most serious issues in 2014. ‘Everybody I talk to is having the same issue. It's probably the number one item that we're seeing right now,’ said Gussin, who is petitioning Covered California for special enrolment status to help clients change plans.” (AP, 5/14/14)

KY Woman: ‘Needing to find a new doctor, she called several who would not take her new insurance’ “In October, she had been shocked to learn that her longtime insurance policy through Humana was getting canceled. ‘I’m really not very happy with what my experience has been,’ Ms. Morse said.  … So she is paying $448 a month for a new Humana plan, up from the $258 monthly premium she paid before. Needing to find a new doctor, she called several who would not take her new insurance.” (The New York Times, 3/30/14)

NJ Woman: “‘I’m sorry, we are no longer accepting that kind of insurance. I apologize for the confusion; Dr. [insert name] is only willing to see existing patients at this time.’ As a proud new beneficiary of the Affordable Health Care Act, I’d like to report that I am doctorless. Ninety-six. Ninety-six is the number of soul crushing rejections that greeted me as I attempted to find one. It’s the number of physicians whose secretaries feigned empathy while rehearsing the ‘I’m so sorry’ line before curtly hanging up.” (Ebony, 4/9/14)

NY Cancer Patient: ‘I’m being railroaded, that’s why I’m so furious’ “The sickest customers tend to be the most upset, like Abigail List, a 53-year-old therapist in Manhattan, who said she had to choose one of the most expensive plans, costing $300 more a month than others, so she could have coverage for her longtime cancer doctors at NYU-Langone Medical Center. ‘I’m being railroaded, that’s why I’m so furious,’ Ms. List said.” (The New York Times, 4/13/14)

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