Yakima, Wash. — Some local healthcare professionals in the Yakima Valley expressed concern for patients after MultiCare confirmed that they will no longer accept Medicare Advantage PPO plans and focus on HMO plans moving forward.
“The word is disruption, it’s kind of an industry term,” said local Medicare agent, Kim Acacio. “Our consumers are frantic.”Acacio says that the root of the issue is communication from healthcare companies, particularly UnitedHealthCare. Many received a letter from UnitedHealthCare, saying “Our current contract with MultiCare is ending,” leading to widespread confusion.
“I think everybody could have communicated this a lot better,” Acacio said. “You really had to read it carefully and know what they were pointing out that your current plan, which was a PPO, was going to be out of network next year. They did not explain that well.”
Acacio says that MultiCare themselves could have handled the situation differently.
“MultiCare in the same respect could have done the same thing as well and said, ‘Hey, if you’re on a PPO, we just need to get you on to an HMO plan.’ So, it’s all about communication,” Acacio said.
Owner of Yakima Men’s Clinic, Akira Kobayashi, says that MultiCare should be held accountable.
“I think we need to have alternatives to MultiCare to hold them accountable or to put some constraint on them because right now they don’t really have any constraints.”
MultiCare responded to these comments with the following statement:
“MultiCare is committed to providing the information that patients and their families need to make health care decisions while meeting regulatory requirements from the state of Washington. We plan to continue to communicate with patients during the open enrollment process. We also provide multiple ways for patients to get support when picking a plan that includes MultiCare. That includes PSW and Chapter — to help patients find new plans. PSW offers in-person and virtual support at 360-338-3897, and Chapter provides virtual support at 800-341-6048 or askchapter.org/mc. If a transition in care is necessary, MultiCare will work closely with your new provider to make the process as smooth as possible.”
For those currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage PPO plan with MultiCare, action must be taken to either switch to an HMO plan, or to another insurance provider that MultiCare accepts.
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