Editor,
Did you know there’s a looming health care crisis in southwest Washington that will affect everyone’s medical care. Regence Blue Cross is in negotiations with Legacy Medical. If they do not reach an agreement by March 31, all Regence members will no longer have access to Legacy providers.
Why does this matter to you? It will mean that patients who lose care will have to find other providers in the other Clark County medical system. Being that there are only two hospitals and the monopoly of Vancouver Clinic, PeaceHealth and Legacy, this means that they will have to absorb patients they obviously don’t have the bandwidth to accommodate.
This means you will have to wait longer for medical care and that you will not have a choice in hospitals for surgeries, etc. I urge you to contact Regence and Legacy and make your voice heard. Otherwise, we will soon be forced to seek care in Oregon. You only have between now and March 31 to act.
Debra Kalz
Vancouver
