No ABQ docs will take my Medicare

I AM writing to express my frustration at finding a dermatologist in Albuquerque. In my last attempt, I called the doctor who had been treating me. I was told since I had not seen her in 14 months I was now considered a “new patient” and oh, so sorry, she was not accepting any more “new” Medicare patients. I called all the other dermatologists who practiced in Albuquerque, and none of them even accept a Medicare patient.

This kind of discrimination against Medicare patients is both alarming and shameful. I am told either these kinds of doctors are just greedy or Medicare just isn’t paying them enough to maintain their offices/staffs. If the later, surely Medicare needs to up its game! I do not have any other insurance. I rely on finding medical specialists using plain old Medicare. If people like me cannot find specialists using Medicare, then really what is Medicare but a sham?

I have also been told that the problem with Medicare is some formula it uses to determine what a fair and reasonable payment . ... If this is true, Medicare is doing its members like me a very poor job. I can go to any large city in Texas and get an appointment with a specialist within one to three weeks. In Albuquerque, however, IF I can find a doctor who will accept Medicare, I must wait three to six months for an appointment. This is obscene.

Please, whomever makes the payment formula for New Mexico, re-create the formula for payment to even out payments to N.M. doctors with those of Texas, Arizona and Colorado. And do it very quickly. Your clientele doesn’t have a lot of years left to wait for you to get it right.

GARY KEENAN Albuquerque