Many people like their doctor(s) and other providers; others don’t believe that whether they like the or not is important and that the most important thing is how well the doctor treats their health issues. We can’t find statistics on how many people overall are satisfied with their doctors and other providers. However, about 65% of people with Medicaid say they are satisfied  with their personal care doctor, as do 77% of people covered by Medicaid.

We do know that there is a lot of discussion of choice of provider and whether you will be able to keep your current doctor if you change health plans.  Having a relationship with a medical provider is very important to some people and having to change providers is a big deal.  But other people go out-of-network or to providers not covered by their health insurance because they can’t find a provider in their network, or they think the quality of care provided by other health care practitioners is better than what their plan covers.

Other people switch providers within their health plan for different reasons.  I personally have switched my personal care physician within my HMO several times, and gone out of plan for other services, because I wanted to find someone who would answer my questions and treat me with respect.

Have you ever gone out of network (and maybe paid more) for medical care?  Have you ever switched providers within your plan? Why?  Do you feel “stuck” with  a provider because there are no others available?  Please post any experiences you have had that made you switch providers.  What do you think are the most important characteristics of a health care provider?  What would make you switch providers, or leave their care?  We’re interested in all providers, including your primary care provider but also dental, mental health, and other health care providers.

Please comment or send an email (on the “contact” page).