Thank you, Terry. I guess one could consider the PCP whom the system assigns to a patient as a tentative provider, until you pick one of your own selection. It was that way with my boyfriend's HMO. But this system that I'm in seems not to really encourage self-selection. They don't give you any booklet listing available providers, as HMOs typically due. So I figure they mean me to take who they gave me. I stay with the system I'm in because they're pretty generous about referrals to specialists and doing any kind of testing you can think of. I have no copays fir any of this. If I went to an HMO, I think I would. Plus, if a doctor wants to order anything that Medicare doesn't like to pay for, the university hospital just picks up the cost.

I got on this because my community lets any low income people in this area be covered by this system. It's meant to provide Medicaid-like benefits for people who don't qualify for Medicaid.

When I was in a partial psych hospitalization program, I was able to stay as long as I wanted. My peers in this program were getting pushed out because their various insurers would only approve paying for so long. So I'm one of the unusual poor persons who has old fashioned straight Medicare. Most poor people do better getting into an "Medicare Advantage" program. So I'm kind of grateful to this university system. I'm in a part of the country that has a rather enlightened attitude toward low-income people (New Mexico.) My state is an island of blue in a sea of red.