Editorial: Contract impasse not good medicine - Albuquerque Journal

1 year ago 52

New Mexicans person been surviving with a batch of wellness uncertainty for astir 3 years. Now, owed to stalled declaration negotiations, thousands of New Mexicans enrolled successful UnitedHealthcare Group plans whitethorn person to find caller doctors and hospitals.

Physician and infirmary contracts betwixt UnitedHealthcare and Lovelace, which person been successful spot for astir 20 years, are acceptable to expire aboriginal adjacent year. Negotiations person stalled for unclear reasons, leaving up to 13,400 United members successful wellness attraction limbo. That fig includes 2,400 United members who person Lovelace physicians arsenic superior attraction providers — radical specified arsenic crab diligent Colleen Aycock of Albuquerque, who’s been utilizing Lovelace arsenic her main root of care.

“To me, this is simply a crisis,” Aycock told the Journal. “We can’t get answers.”

The existent declaration betwixt United and Lovelace’s hospitals is acceptable to expire successful January. The declaration betwixt United and Lovelace’s physicians volition travel to an extremity successful March if a caller statement isn’t reached. That means, starting adjacent year, each United plans astatine Lovelace — with the objection of Medicare Supplement plans — volition beryllium considered retired of network, and retired of luck.

Seriously sick patients specified arsenic Aycock request continuity of care. They should beryllium capable to absorption connected their recovery, not near scrambling to find caller providers 2 years into crab treatment.

United and Lovelace person created a wellness attraction situation affecting much implicit 13,000 New Mexicans, galore of whom trust connected Lovelace Medical Center, Lovelace Regional Hospital successful Roswell, Heart Hospital of New Mexico astatine Lovelace Medical Center, Lovelace Women’s Hospital and Lovelace Westside Hospital for care.

“It’s desperation,” Aycock explained. “It’s similar the rug is yanked retired from underneath you.”

United and Lovelace request to enactment this out, and ASAP, to support patients and their trusted providers connected.

This editorial archetypal appeared successful the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial committee and is unsigned arsenic it represents the sentiment of the paper alternatively than the writers.

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