More Orange County Doctors Not Accepting Private Insurance
Physicians in Orange County increasingly are canceling some or all of their contracts with private insurers, citing problems with reimbursements and claims, the Orange County Register reports.
Doctors maintain that treating patients with private insurance results in:
- Low and delayed reimbursements;
- Lost claims; and
- Lengthy paperwork that reduces time spent on patients.
Physicians also are critical of insurers denying coverage of necessary medical care. Such issues prompted the Orange County Medical Association last week to hold its first conference focusing on how to negotiate insurance contracts.
Some patients affected by the cancellations are paying more in out-of-pocket costs, while others have had to change to providers within their insurance network.
Charles Denny, a county health care consultant, said, "It's a major paradigm shift to terminate all your insurance." He added, "I think we'll see more of it, but it's only the beginning" (Perkes, Orange County Register, 11/30). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.