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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AKC on July 27, 2001, at 14:21:13
That is insurance companies. Last year, it was 1/2 dozen one way, 6 the other, so I self-insured (I wasn't going to save any money through my firm's PPO plan and my therapist does not belong to any HMOs). This year my firm significantly dropped its PPO price, so I switched to the PPO. However, my therapist does not bill any insurance company (only does medicare and medicaid as required by law). So for the past three months I have been submitting claims - and haven't heard anything. This week, the insurance company finally paid on my group therapy, so I just called about my individual therapy -- to find out they have no record of any such claims. I verified I was mailing them to the correct address. Now I have to fax them. Damn them, damn them all to hell!
I could go on for pages about all the struggles I have had getting mental health bills paid over the years. It is tragic to say the least -- and why I posted a few days ago NAMI's grassroots call for the new Mental Health Parity Legislation. But this is not really limited to mental health -- I think this is endemic to the health insurance industry as a whole. And yet some members of Congress doesn't think we should be able to sue HMOs for improperly denying coverage or delaying coverage or not paying bills or on and on and on.I am sitting here at work, totally fuming. I haven't been this mad for some time. In fact, probably since the last time since I had to call the insurance company.
Sigh. :-(
Posted by susan C on July 27, 2001, at 14:55:19
In reply to A blight on them all . . ., posted by AKC on July 27, 2001, at 14:21:13
> That is insurance companies. Last year, it was 1/2 dozen one way, 6 the other, so I self-insured (I wasn't going to save any money through my firm's PPO plan and my therapist does not belong to any HMOs). This year my firm significantly dropped its PPO price, so I switched to the PPO. However, my therapist does not bill any insurance company (only does medicare and medicaid as required by law). So for the past three months I have been submitting claims - and haven't heard anything. This week, the insurance company finally paid on my group therapy, so I just called about my individual therapy -- to find out they have no record of any such claims. I verified I was mailing them to the correct address. Now I have to fax them. Damn them, damn them all to hell!
>
>
> I could go on for pages about all the struggles I have had getting mental health bills paid over the years. It is tragic to say the least -- and why I posted a few days ago NAMI's grassroots call for the new Mental Health Parity Legislation. But this is not really limited to mental health -- I think this is endemic to the health insurance industry as a whole. And yet some members of Congress doesn't think we should be able to sue HMOs for improperly denying coverage or delaying coverage or not paying bills or on and on and on.
>
> I am sitting here at work, totally fuming. I haven't been this mad for some time. In fact, probably since the last time since I had to call the insurance company.
>
> Sigh. :-(Hi AKC,
Get a GOOD head of steam up! and blast it off...a blight on them all...it is a good phrase.
Posted by kid_A on July 27, 2001, at 16:04:08
In reply to A blight on them all . . ., posted by AKC on July 27, 2001, at 14:21:13
I loathe the insurance industry. Hello, we will garuntee to raise your rates each year and be as entirely inflexible as possible whenever you have any medical problem whatsoever... piss off, now and give us your money.ARRGHH... Case in point, today I am going through the pointless excercise of having to fill 4 tablets of Ambien. This is all because for some reason my insurance company deems that I should only be allowed 14 in one month, otherwise I might be selling them to schoolchildren or god knows what reason...
I used to be perscribed them on a 10 count basis, and made the mistake of refiling before the (then unknown to me) 25 day limit on qty 14 was up... I could only pay for 4, otherwise It would have cost me 30 dollars or so for all of the rest... I filled for four and went on my (ignorant) merry way...
I see my pdoc and explain said situation, and he increases my script to 14, for my convenience... only to go back to find out that because I filled for 4, not long enough ago, I can now only get 10..... Jesus Daddy and the SPook!!!!!! Insurance company makes me go through this rigamarole of upping the limit to 18, though that just doesnt ever happen... I have to call back to find out that today I must go down, have them back out the 10, re-run it for 14, and now I properly start on my 25 day cycle...
All of this because the insurance company is so tight assed about its policies that It cant possibly budge, even under a doctors recomendation... Plus, I'm out the lousy 17.00 I payed for the difference, 4 little pills for 17.00s... I've bought street drugs cheaper than that... Thank you PPO!!!!
k_A, Pissed off, L.A.M.F.!!!!!!
This is the end of the thread.
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