PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Stephen Palumbo and his wife were headed to a pre-op appointment last week when they got a call from Rhode Island Hospital saying his surgery had been canceled.
The reason? It would no longer be covered by his insurance.
Palumbo is one of thousands of Rhode Islanders over the age of 65 who are insured by UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage plan. That means starting July 1, any care he receives at Brown University Health’s Rhode Island hospitals — Hasbro Children’s Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Newport Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital — will be billed as “out of network.”…