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Johnson helping get area docs reinstated after cuts by United Healthcare
By Kalea Hall
CANFIELD
U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson believes Americans should be able to choose how their health care is delivered.
He said he recently helped to have five area physicians reinstated to the United Healthcare Medicare Advantage Network — and said he would continue to try for more.
Area physicians, Johnson and the Mahoning County Medical Society met Tuesday in Canfield for a news conference on the impact of cuts made by the United Healthcare’s Advantage Program. “The ultimate goal is to get the federal government out of the health care business,” said Johnson, of Marietta, R-6th. “Put it back in the hands of doctors and patients so the American people have more choice and control over how their health care is provided.”
Johnson said he first found out about several physicians who lost patients from the United Healthcare cuts in August.
Thousands of physicians and their patients from multiple specialities have been affected by the cuts across Ohio, and an estimated 300 Mahoning County doctors were cut from United, said Karyn Frederick, executive director for the Mahoning County Medical Society.
United Healthcare said it has an estimated 102,000 Ohioans enrolled in six Medicare Advantage plans. Kevin Shermach, director of public relations for United Healthcare, said in a statement to The Vindicator that specific numbers of how many physicians and members were affected by the cuts have not been released.
“The changes we are making are designed to bring better health outcomes and more-affordable health care coverage to our Medicare Advantage members in Ohio,” Shermach wrote. “We are working with local members and doctors to address questions and concerns they have about these changes. United Healthcare Medicare Advantage plan members will continue to have access to one of the largest physician networks in Ohio, including approximately 4,800 primary-care physicians and more than 8,400 specialists.”
Anyone with questions about their physician’s network status may contact United customer care at 888-332-8883.
Some of the patients were hit with the sudden realization that they could not go to the same doctor they had been going to for years.
Frederick said the patients will have to wait until open enrollment for Medicare and Medicaid from October to Dec. 7.
So far, Neurology Associates physicians Dr. Richard Memo, Dr. Robert Ricchiuti, Dr. Vincent Ricchiuti, Dr. Daniel Ricchiuti and Dr. Mark Memo issued a statement thanking Johnson for his efforts to get them reinstated into United Healthcare.
“The termination would have severely inconvenienced 400-plus patients in our practice, who would have had to leave our practice to find another urologist or change to another Medicare product,” they wrote.