08/16/2026
I appreciate your work Senator. The only thing I can say about Presbyterian is that the organization is quite often an insurer that is more about collecting premiums than they are about providing services that are needed by their insureds.
We needed to get a portable oxygen concentrator, we needed to travel to Minnesota and we would be gone for about 2 weeks. I use 2 liters of oxygen on a steady basis. I would have had to take a ridiculous number of oxygen tanks, at home I am constantly consuming oxygen from the home concentrator, if I am active I could need 3 liters. So I contacted my primary care physician and asked for a prior authorization to get the portable concentrator.
I was astonished by what I was told. Presbyterian’s response flummoxed me. I was told that I needed to contact the durable medical equipment company, HME and they were the only ones that could get a prior authorization from Presbyterian. There was also one condition that I had to meet, I had to be currently renting or leasing equipment from HME and since I was not, they refused to work with me at all. Now I was jammed up with nothing I could do. Since I am on SSI I didn’t have the $2,300.00 to buy one outright so I had to get out the trusty credit cards to purchase one. I am going to file a claim with Presbyterian. I am quite sure that I will meet the same stone wall of NO, from Presbyterian since I didn’t have a prior authorization to buy the concentrator.
It nauseates me when Presbyterian bragging about how great they are and how they have great hospitals and patient outcomes. They achieve this in my opinion by denying insureds the care they need and entering into what I believe are criminal agreements that leave individuals twisting in the wind!
My name is Robert Rondeau and you can reach me at (505) 250-1197 or email: [email protected] I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
I hope you can respond to me?
This week, I met with Presbyterian Hospital leadership and staff to discuss how Republican cuts to critical health programs threaten hospital services and access to care for New Mexicans. I heard directly from health care leaders about these impacts and how we can work together to protect quality, affordable care across our state.
