The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
http://nypost.com/2015/12/30/obamacares-doctor-search-leads-man-on-wild-goose-chase/
ObamaCare’s doctor search leads man on wild goose chase
By Julia Marsh
December 30, 2015 | 12:26am
ObamaCare is so plagued with problems that a Manhattan man couldn’t find an enrolled doctor without going through more than 185 phony leads, according to a first-of-its-kind, class-action lawsuit.
And when the man finally tried two doctors’ phone numbers listed on his provider’s Web site, he was connected with a Wells Fargo mortgage office and the Legal Aid Society, court papers say.
“It’s really inconvenient and almost useless,’’ Robert Halpern, a lawyer, griped to The Post on Tuesday, referring to his provider’s online search set-up.
Halpern says he and his wife, who live in the East Village, first enrolled with New York state provider Health Republic.
The choice proved disastrous: The company was forced to fold last month after losing $53 million in the first half of this year.
The couple was then automatically enrolled in a new plan, Fidelis Care.
Halpern used its online search function to find a gynecologist for his wife, who has a “medical condition,’’ within three miles of their home. He said it turned up 216 results — except they actually only represented 30 providers.
For example, “Dr. Michael Cabbad appears 21 times on the list, at only four different addresses with three different telephone numbers. Thus, 17 of the results are duplicative,” according to the Manhattan Supreme Court suit.
Meanwhile, the listed number for Dr. Dennis Blanchette at SUNY Downstate rang a Wells Fargo office, and one for Dr. Gregory Amo of Woodhull Medical and Mental Health led to the Legal Aid Society.
After calling all 30 physicians on the list, only eight said they accept Fidelis Care Marketplace insurance, the suit says.
Halpern, 60, is suing under the state’s General Business Law for unspecified damages. He says Fidelis used “deceptive acts’’ and “false advertising’’ because it touts “67,000 quality providers.”
Halpern’s case is the first in the state to target a provider on those grounds.
Fidelis said in an e-mailed statement to The Post:
“Fidelis Care has no knowledge of a lawsuit filed by Mr. Halpern. As a health plan serving 1.4 million members, Fidelis Care has a statewide network of more than 67,000 providers that includes a significant number of OB/GYNs in New York City.’’
ObamaCare’s doctor search leads man on wild goose chase
By Julia Marsh
December 30, 2015 | 12:26am
ObamaCare is so plagued with problems that a Manhattan man couldn’t find an enrolled doctor without going through more than 185 phony leads, according to a first-of-its-kind, class-action lawsuit.
And when the man finally tried two doctors’ phone numbers listed on his provider’s Web site, he was connected with a Wells Fargo mortgage office and the Legal Aid Society, court papers say.
“It’s really inconvenient and almost useless,’’ Robert Halpern, a lawyer, griped to The Post on Tuesday, referring to his provider’s online search set-up.
Halpern says he and his wife, who live in the East Village, first enrolled with New York state provider Health Republic.
The choice proved disastrous: The company was forced to fold last month after losing $53 million in the first half of this year.
The couple was then automatically enrolled in a new plan, Fidelis Care.
Halpern used its online search function to find a gynecologist for his wife, who has a “medical condition,’’ within three miles of their home. He said it turned up 216 results — except they actually only represented 30 providers.
For example, “Dr. Michael Cabbad appears 21 times on the list, at only four different addresses with three different telephone numbers. Thus, 17 of the results are duplicative,” according to the Manhattan Supreme Court suit.
Meanwhile, the listed number for Dr. Dennis Blanchette at SUNY Downstate rang a Wells Fargo office, and one for Dr. Gregory Amo of Woodhull Medical and Mental Health led to the Legal Aid Society.
After calling all 30 physicians on the list, only eight said they accept Fidelis Care Marketplace insurance, the suit says.
Halpern, 60, is suing under the state’s General Business Law for unspecified damages. He says Fidelis used “deceptive acts’’ and “false advertising’’ because it touts “67,000 quality providers.”
Halpern’s case is the first in the state to target a provider on those grounds.
Fidelis said in an e-mailed statement to The Post:
“Fidelis Care has no knowledge of a lawsuit filed by Mr. Halpern. As a health plan serving 1.4 million members, Fidelis Care has a statewide network of more than 67,000 providers that includes a significant number of OB/GYNs in New York City.’’