Senior citizens impacted by United Healthcare’s decision to drop Yale-New Haven Hospital doctors are being given until Feb. 14 to enroll in original Medicare.
“Individuals who want to keep their doctors at Yale-New Haven can do so by un-enrolling from the United Healthcare Medicare Advantage Plan and re-enrolling in original Medicare,” Gov. Dannel Malloy said Friday. “I encourage seniors to speak to one of the great counselors at CHOICES who stand ready to help navigate this transition. Seniors who were affected by this change only have a week to re-enroll, so they must act quickly.”
United Healthcare recently notified customers that, effective April 1, 2014, Yale-New Haven Hospital will no longer be a provider of the company’s Medicare Advantage plans. Because of this change, beneficiaries with United Healthcare’s Medicare Advantage will not be able to continue seeing their doctors in the Yale-New Haven Hospital. But patients can keep their same doctor if they re-enroll in original Medicare by February 14, 2014.
“Many seniors affected by United Healthcare’s decision are understandably upset and confused about what to do next,” Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman said Friday in a statement. “I urge anyone affected to contact a CHOICES counselor who can help them sort through their options, including keeping their current doctor if they desire to do so.”
Anyone interested in switching is urged to call (800) 994-9422 and a counselor in the Aging Department will be available to help.
United Healthcare wanted to make sure its Medicare Advantage members know they “continue to have broad access to hospitals and physicians across Connecticut to meet their health care needs, and we will work with them to get them to those providers.”