The doc fix is only good for a year, and we have discussed it at length, but let me add a personal note: A longtime friend of mine has had physical problems for as far back as I can remember. A few weeks ago, she called to tell me that the eight-doctor clinic in her area is nearly closing down, with three of the doctors having decided to work at the hospital and three of them leaving her town. That leaves only two general practitioners at the clinic, neither of which is her doctor – and neither of which can pick up the entire load of those departed.
Because she is a dual eligible, she can't find a doctor; she's been told that the doctors she called aren't taking any Medicare patients, much less dual eligibles.
"I feel like opening up the Yellow Pages and just throwing darts at it," she told me.
Unfortunately, I couldn't offer her any advice that would comfort her – and you will receive similar calls, if you haven't already.
Ron Iverson is president of the National Association of Medicare Supplement Advisors Inc. He can be reached at 406-442-4016. This article was adapted from a piece that ran in the Jan. 11 edition of the NAMSA newsletter.
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