@rbcookson I'm sorry that your insurance is causing an issue for you. I have heard of this before with another patient on the same plan, and Mayo didn't accept the Medicare "Advantage" plan. It makes much more sense to have real Medicare and add a Medigap policy to it. I actually called Mayo when I had to make that decision to ask what insurance was accepted there before I signed up. The "Advantage" plans really are not an advantage because they tend to be like the HMO policies where you can only see doctors on their network lists. You might want to try to change this when it is time to sign up again. These "Advantage plans" promise all kinds of perks, but their coverage is not as good as Medicare. Medicare lets you see any doctor in the country that accepts Medicare, so it is portable. Often the "Advantage plans" are local or only within your state of residence. Mayo in Rochester does accept real Medicare with a Medigap plan. They told me which ones of those supplemental plans they accept, and we went with Mutual of Omaha.

Is your condition urgent? It is almost halfway through the year, and if you need future surgery, would that be reasonable to wait and change your insurance coverage to real Medicare for next year and then reapply for an appointment?

The other patient I mentioned did see a doctor at a Mayo Health System hospital, and then the insurance refused to authorize her surgery, and played a waiting game of appeals, so the surgery had to be canceled. It wasted everyone's time, and she was forced to have surgery with a local surgeon who she didn't fully trust because she was in a lot of pain.