How has insurance crapped on YOUR day?

I was calling my policy today to see what diabetic supplies and medications were covered. The first words out of the lady’s mouth were “you’re not covered at all! Not until you can prove 18 continuous months of coverage for a previously existing condition.” They said that I have not been with them for 18 months until Dec 1st of this year. HELLO! NEW ADULT ONSET Type 1 diabetes! They have Type 1 listed as a condition mostly occuring in children, so I may get a series of denial letters until I can set them straight that I was only diagnosed this week with Type 1. NOT previously existing. I hate insurance companies!

Can’t argue with the stupidity of the insurance companies, but does it really have to cost $1.2 trillion dollars and 2000 pages, to get them to straighten up and fly right? Besides, what will happen is, everyone will be pushed out of their coverage, and into the public option, or whatever they want to call it.

Me? I don’t want to go to jail for not having insurance…Of course in prison, I guess insurance is free, right? :slight_smile:

My fear is that these, very valid complaints, are what are driving people to accept what is being rammed down our throats at midnight on a saturday night, behind closed doors, and, well, nothing good can come from that.

John

Somewhere, someday, somehow, someone will be called to account for the difference between insurance company adverts that are along the lines of, “we are here for you in your time of need” and “Need help? You can count on us - anytime!”, and the reality that you have just experienced.

I most enjoy when I call and the canned voice says, “If you are calling about the ‘Consumer-driven’ health plan offered by your employer…”, that indicates that I, as the consumer driving the health plan, could somehow bend the plan to meet my needs, to be followed by a live person who always says, “You made the right decision by calling us today…”, to be followed by, “NO! Your very reasonable request has been denied!”

To John Brush - right you are. We cannot argue with the stupidity of the insurance companies, but apparently rarely can we argue, complain or calmly discuss with them AT ALL. Therefore, one does wonder how a plan to fix the mess by keeping the mess-makers (insurance companies) in place will ever work. I have to liken what we are doing to fixing a completely rusted tailpipe by sliding a shiny stainless steel sleeve over the middle part.

Fair Winds,
Mike

Call them back. If they give you the same answer ask for their supervisor, after carefully recording the name of the first person. If the supervisor can’t help you keep going up the chain. Tell them you are also calling your state’s insurance commission (or whatever your state calls it) to start action to get their ability to sell insurance in your state removed.
Not fun, but sometimes it’s the only way, unfortunately.
Get a Letter of Necessity from your physician that states CLEARLY when your diabetes was first diagnosed. If you can get any earlier doctors to state that you didn’t have diabetes when under their care (if you changed doctors within the last 18 months, anyway), that may help.
If that doesn’t work see if a local TV station has a “trouble-shooter” you can ask to help with this.

To think people will go to prison for not having health insurance is an absurd scare tactic, but let people think what they want. personally, I would rather have a 2000 page bill than the 2 pages treasury Secretary Paulson and George W Bush gave congress for the first TARP bail-out of $700 billion.

Another mis-characteriazation is that the gov’t will get between the doctor and patient. WAKE UP PEOPLE !! Insurance companies have been doing that for years. As an health care worker in Oncology, we get procedures and tests denied all the time, even though we know that they are in the patient’s best interest. Abuse happens everywhere, but this is not right either. Patients think that they are getting everything that has been ordered, because they are not aware of the rejections. Why keeping ordering tests from the same insurance company if you know that they will be constantly rejected?

On a personal level…some carriers demand “voluntary” enrollment in their “chronic diseases” program for diabetics in order for them to receive benefits. This included being monitored by a third party for compliance. Have you exercised today Mr Smith? Have you eaten anything you were not suppose to? Send me your last BG?

If you hear mis-truths enough times, from enough sources, you begin to believe it to be true.

I hear you!!!
I get sooo tired of having to fight for all of my diabetic supplies.

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!! CONSTANT BATTLE…