DISAPPEARING DOCTOR

I am a medical assistant. I am tired of telling patients that they have to wait for a treatment or surgery until their insurance company puts it through “utilization review” or, even worse, telling them they can’t have the treatment because their insurance company feels it isn’t medically necessary. It saddens me to hear elderly patients cry because they have to discontinue treatment with a favorite physician because that physician is not on their new insurance and they can’t afford to pay for treatment themselves.

I know we need to keep costs down, but there has to be a better way.

DONNA GRAHAM

Morena Valley