If you are having difficulty finding doctors willing to accept your new Obamacare plans in 2014, finding a doctor who takes Obamacare coverage could be just as difficult in 2015.

Even as California’s enrollment grows, many patients continue to complain about being offered fewer choices of doctors, and having no easy way to find the ones that are available.

Based upon information provided by Covered California, and the carrier’s recent information provided to insurance brokers the general consensus is:

• The state’s largest health insurers are sticking with their narrow networks of doctors, and in some cases they are cutting the number of physicians even more, according to an analysis of company data.

• Insurers say they can pass along savings by paying doctors less, and rewarding the limited network of doctors with higher patient volume.

• Covered California, still has no comprehensive directory to help consumers match doctors with health plans. There’s no timetable for a state provider directory after the exchange scrapped an initial version that was riddled with errors. Instead, Covered California refers people to insurance company websites that vary in usefulness.

• Health Net has proposed the most dramatic change for 2015, the data show. It’s dumping the current PPO network, and switching to a plan with 54% fewer doctors and no out-of-network coverage, state data show.

• For 2015, Blue Shield has proposed two health plans with up to 4% fewer physicians in the areas where they’re sold. Blue Shield includes about two-thirds of its regular PPO doctors in its broadest exchange network.

• Anthem, which has added nearly 7,000 doctors since January, intends to maintain the current size of its networks; however the carrier is maintaining its EPO structure in parts of California.

• In addition to shedding doctors, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California, the state’s biggest insurers have promoted more restrictive policies known as EPO, or exclusive-provider organization. Unlike a more generous PPO, an EPO typically does not provide any coverage for out-of-network providers. Consumers would be responsible for the full charges if they left their network.

If you have any questions please call John Barrett at (626) 797-4618
CA Insurance License # 0750065

*Data obtained from an LA Times, Insurance Company information, and various online articles.