Even if the patient offers to pay the bill themselves, Providence will stop taking out-of-network payments from Aetna on March 31 due to the ongoing impasse in reaching a reimbursement agreement (Aetna drops Providence in Oregon from its health insurance network, leaving patients in limbo, Jan. 3).
When I contacted to schedule an appointment for a relative who uses the Providence system and is insured by Aetna, I was told this. According to the scheduler, Providence has suspended Aetna patients’ appointments after March 31 regardless of how long they have been seeing their provider. The fact that we offered to cover the cost of the appointment ourselves was irrelevant.
This choice is made at a crucial time when there is a severe lack of access to primary care physicians. The difficulties faced by patients obtaining medical care are being made worse by Providence’s activities. Providence has not explained the wider ramifications of this decision, including as the difficulty to make appointments after March 31, even though Aetna has notified patients that their providers are not in network. Patients are now in a vulnerable position as a result of this neglect, especially those who depend on Providence for their medical care.
Becich, Raymond, West Linn
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