General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Here I am in a new city, embarking on trying to find an Obamacare doctor. [View all]Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)if I call BCBS back and get a reference # for using their nurse practitioner, that nurse will see me. So I call BCBS..she looks on "the list" (my provider list...the one I have), and sees that the nurse's name is not on the list. (I don't think nurse practitioners are on the list at all, since they work FOR doctors? The rep doesn't know.) So she tells me it's possible that being assigned to a nurse practitioner would be considered out of network, unless the dr office "says" I'm his patient.
Since I can't take that chance, I move on to dr. #2.
BTW...this is something I picked up on in years past. The GOP makes a big deal out of insureds gaming the system, but I've noticed that the providers have started gaming the system. Having their nurses take the place of the doctor is one way...they get paid doctor rates for nurse time.
Another thing that some in Dallas did was require a "meet and greet" or orientation meeting, costing about $100 or so. That way, they get more $ than the paltry fee for the free annual exam for new patients. If the insured has a deductible, that would be an out of pocket expense for the lower level policies, altho a copay may apply for the higher level ones. This is gaming the system to increase their fees.