Obozocare is good for you. Gooood fooorrr yooouuu! ROCHESTER — The City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution in support of Frisbie Memorial Hospital, which is making efforts to be included in the health insurance exchange network under the Affordable Care Act. Starting in January, uninsured patients will be able to shop for health insurance through the exchange, also known as the marketplace, under the Affordable Care Act. In New Hampshire, the only insurer that joined the exchange is Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, which excluded 10 New Hampshire hospitals from its network. Locally, Frisbie Memorial Hospital and Portsmouth Regional Hospital have been excluded, meaning that patients who join the exchange would not be covered if they see doctors or get non-emergency treatment at those hospitals, starting Jan. 1. According to Al Felgar, president and CEO of Frisbie Memorial Hospital, the hospital has been excluded from the Anthem network without any prior conversation with the hospital. Frisbie patients who join the exchange, he said, will have to choose new doctors; otherwise, their treatments will not be covered. Since finding out that the hospital was excluded, Frisbie has been reaching out to the public, through radio announcements and newspaper advertisements, in hopes that residents will call their legislators and ask that Frisbie Memorial Hospital be included in the Anthem network. On Tuesday, the City Council passed a resolution to support Frisbie in that endeavor. Felgar on Tuesday said that the hospital’s exclusion from the network is “the biggest threat I have faced in my career.” He said the Affordable Care Act was sold to the American public as benefiting the patients. He said President Barack Obama told the public that competition among carriers in the exchanges would drive prices down, and that patients will be able to keep their doctors. Those components, said Felgar, did not turn out as promised. “Something stinks here folks, and I don’t like it,” he told the City Council. “This is not fair, it’s inappropriate, it’s not ethical.” According to Felgar, the hospital employs 80 physicians, none of whom will be able to serve patients in the exchange starting Jan. 1. He said currently, Frisbie has about 7,000 patients who are self-insured. How many of them will choose to join the exchange is not yet known. Currently, Frisbie provides low-cost or free treatment to those who qualify. Felgar said Anthem’s plan has been approved by N.H. Department of Insurance and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. However, he has been reaching out to local senators, state representatives, and congresswomen, in hopes that government officials can intervene and have Frisbie Memorial Hospital included in the network. “I’m looking for help,” said Felgar. “We deserve an opportunity to participate in this.” The resolution adopted by the council on Tuesday will be sent to the legislative delegation in Washington, D.C., as well as to the governor’s office, said Mayor T.J. Jean. Councilor Ray Varney stated that Medicare and Medicaid patients, as well as current Anthem members and those who have insurance, will still be able to get treatments covered at Frisbie Memorial Hospital. Copied from the Rochester Times Oct.3, 2013
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 01:02:55 +0000
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