William Bee Ririe Rural Health Clinic warns it won’t take Medicare Advantage plans

As of January 1, 2025, William Bee Ririe stopped accepting Medicare Advantage plans. Unfortunately, they are not the first medical facility to do this, nor probably the last. In the past few years there has been an incline in medical facilities adopting this policy around the country. The rise in this has been attributed to excessive prior authorization denials, slow payments from the insurances and high claim denials. You can even google the disadvantages of Medicare Advantage Plans and get pages of reasons why this change is becoming necessary.

William Bee Ririe has spent the better part of this past year educating the community on the upcoming change. They spent time handing out pamphlets and speaking at the Senior Center. They also posted on their website and on social media platforms in the early fall to present. This won’t affect most Seniors in White Pine County. The majority of Medicare Advantage Plans are not offered in rural areas. New people moving into the area can contact Medicare and request to be changed because of the coverage area.

William Bee Ririe states the limitations with Medicare Advantage Plans makes it difficult to provide a full range of care in a timely manner and are designed for a more urban setting rather than our rural area. For those that missed the open enrollment there is still help. COO Beth Humphries says they are offering assistance if needed for this switch, you can call Patient Financial Services at 775-289-3001 ext 614. They can address any questions or concerns. The William Bee Ririe Social Media page has also posted information on how to switch and a more detailed explanation as to their reasons why they chose to make this change