Health partners and insurance split today

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Thursday will be a critical day for tens of thousand of people in Albuquerque who have doctors at ABQ Health Partners and use Lovelace Health Plan Insurance.? That's because the contract between the two companies will end.

In the meantime, if patients want to stay with their ABQ Health Partners doctor, ABQ Health Partners will pay for their doctors' visits until they get new insurance or until the end of 2012.

If patients decide they want to stay with Lovelace's insurance, that company says it'll help them find a new doctor, but will no longer be covered at ABQ Health Partners anymore.

It was at the end of October when the hundreds of thousands of patients received word that ABQ Health Partners and Lovelace Health Plan would be severing their five year relationship. That gave way to lawsuits and complaints from both sides. It also sent patients trying to move as fast as possible to secure having a doctor to see and insurance to cover costs.

"It was an unforeseen thing you know and it's caused some inconvenience, but I'm sure it's going to work out in our case," says Bill Williamson who will be looking for a new doctor.

Others shared their opinion.

"As we were driving over here today, my husband said I think we better stay with the ones we have," says Barbara Schoepfer, who will be staying with ABQ Health Partners. "We're staying with the doctors we have."

UNM workers who use ABQ Health Partners have already worked out a deal where they can continue to see doctors there, even after Thursday's split. People fighting cancer who have surgery already scheduled can still go to ABQ Health Partners.

Both ABQ Health Partners and Lovelace have websites set up to help people with situation.

ABQ Health Partners:
1 (877) 540-2715, Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

website: keepmyabqhpdoc.com
?

Lovelace Health Plan:
(505) 727-5555, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 11 p.m., or from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays
email: findadoctor@lovelace.com
website: providerfinder.lovelacehealthplan.com

Source: http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/health/health-partners-and-insurance-split-today-dr

Alex Morgan Misty May Treanor Lolo Jones Aly Raisman Marvin Hamlisch Megan Rossee NASA