Again with the Anthem BULLSHIT!

UnknownOK, Today I’m starting a search for new insurance carrier.

I had an appointment with a new physcian today. The operative word is HAD. I drive an hour to get to the appointment. I walk in, I’m early, and I’m expecting to fill out the obligatory paperwork.

I hand the little bitch behind the counter my ID and insurance card and she tell me that I have an Obamacare plan and they don’t accept those.

NewImage.pngI tell her my plan is not Obamacare and that given my premiums I expect a little privacy instead of her announcing that I have an Obamacare plan.

I’m LESS than amused. Since I, as a consumer cannot determine if the plan I’m paying through the nose for is Obamacare or not, at least not by looking at the fucking insurance card. However I’m really torqued out of shape about the “Announcement” that I have an Obamacare plan I don’t like the stigma associated with Obamacare.

NewImage.pngThis doctor will not be seeing me. I will not do business with a doctor whose staff is so indiscreet. I felt like she’d just told the full waiting room something like; “OH your lab results came back you have Syphillis!”

Lets be realistic the doctor patient relationships is a BUSINESS relationship akin to Client / Attorney privilege.

So I’ll be back on the phone with the damn insurance idiots this afternoon to determine if this plan is actually OBAMAFUCKINGCARE. If it is, then we’re going to have a conversation that may require a Valium on my part.

As I write this, I’m sitting on a patio at a StarBucks having a treat. Sometimes you just need to have some fun.

If the Arabs would shut the hell up it would be a perfect situation. I’m enjoying the eye candy sitting across from my table and thinking some seriously dirty thoughts.

I was probably a little rough on that lady…

NewImage.pngJust got a call from someone claiming to be a billing company for my GP.

I haven’t seen my GP in 7 months, so when she asked me if I’d gotten the statement I was all “What?”

Then she reads off the wrong address. AGAIN! and I got a little pissed off. My MAILING address hasn’t changed in 20 years! Even after the house burned down the mailing address didn’t change.

NewImage.pngThis billing firm and I have been through this time and again and they STILL haven’t gotten it right.

Part of it is the arrogance of the data entry people.

After all the one in 10,000 forms that they process, which has a post office box on it can’t possibly be right. The patient filling out the form would take the time to put the post office box number on the form, especially since it is completely un-necessary.

NewImage.pngShe said “I don’t know why the information is incorrect.”

I replied, “I do! It’s because you people are horribly inefficient and your data is corrupt. I will be bringing this up with the doctor the next time I see him.  It’s funny, I get mail from the doctor’s office with no difficulty.”

I disconnected.

Of course this begs another question. Since I haven’t seen the doctor in 7 months or so, what the hell is this billing company trying to bill me for? I thought we’d settled up long ago.

I see a complete review of my medical bills in the near future. It’s not unheard of for medical billing companies to send out duplicate bills long after the fact, in hopes of pocketing the excess cash.

NewImage.pngThis is one of the reasons that I prefer to PAY for the services rendered at the time that the services are rendered. I hate having some bullshit insurance company negotiation going on for months behind the scenes that results in a bill that I can’t verify because I don’t know how much the services are costing me in the first place.

This isn’t about Obamacare, this is about the way the insurance companies and the medical providers services have evolved. This is the kind of thing that government regulation could have assisted the people with.

As I’ve said before, I’d prefer to deal upfront. I’d like to know what the cost for each service and materials for that service are. Then I, as an informed consumer could choose which services and procedures I’m willing to pay for, and which services are perhaps extraneous.

DSC_0442.jpgAfter all, you don’t buy new brakes for your car at every oil change, why should you have an expensive and un-necessary service done every time you go into the doctor?  You & your doctor should be working co-operatively and that requires informed choices. Pricing and purpose of a test or procedure isn’t unreasonable to ask for.

The way the system is now, you can have billing that shows up literally YEARS after the fact and that makes it very difficult to figure out if you should pay the bill, or if the bill is even yours.

I guess I’ll know in a few days. When I get the bill I’m going to drop by the doctors office and have a little chat.