Any time anyone in our family has a medical procedure, the actual procedure is always far easier that what follows. The battle between the insurance company, the person looking to get paid, and me. It is for this very reason that none of us ever go to the doctor. We avoid it at all cost.
I broke my own rule this past summer and headed into the "Primary Care Physician" to get a tetanus shot (following a run in with a rusty door.) Two months later I received a bill from the doctor's office for $167. I called them to ask if they billed insurance. Too bad their "system" was down but I was assured it was probably some type of glitch that they would take care of. After 2 weeks of hearing nothing about it, I called back to make sure it was taken care of. They assured me I have a $0 balance. Yesterday, a second bill showed up. AHHHHHH! So frustrating. So I called again. They told me that insurance was billed but they denied it claiming that I have secondary insurance that should cover it. WHAT?!? So I called the insurance company and they had no record of it every being submitted. At this point I pulled out all of my hair and called the closest mental ward to see if I can be committed.
Whilst all of this is going on, the kids have lost their minds and have reduced the house to rubble.
This little story about my tetanus shot is just the tip of the iceberg. I could write a novel about the trouble I'm having getting Molly's ear tube payments taken care of.
Additionally, Drew and I spent last week going over our health care "options" for next year. First, let me say how truly blessed I feel that Drew has a job that offers him health insurance. I know there are millions of families that go without. Beyond that, let me just say that they all sucked. Drew ran numbers on all the choices and the bottom line is that with all of them, we as a family will end up paying 50% of our medical bills out of pocket. For every $10,000 in medical expenses, we are shilling out $5000 of it between monthly payments, copays, deductibles and 20% of whatever is left over. It's obscene!
Almost as obscene as the fact that I was charged $167 for 10 minutes of time with a physician and a 25 cent tetanus shot.
Anyway, all of this brings me to a point. I don't care who you are or what color you are (red or blue), you have to admit that our health care system is a WRECK!!
I have experienced many types of health insurance as an adult. When Drew was in the Army, we had the equivalent of socialized health care. There was no "insurance." I went to the doctors on base and they took care of me. All medications were free. All of it. Even Tylenol. You broke your leg, they fixed it. You had toenail fungus, they gave you a pill. You got pregnant, they gave you prenatal care and delivered your baby. I never questioned whether I was sick enough to warrant the stress of going to the doctor. I just went and was taken care of. It was, in a word, heaven.
Then we had terrific health care when Drew worked for MBNA. Drew paid his monthly payment and that was it. No copays. No deductibles. Nothing. Molly and I spent a total of 7 weeks between the 2 of us in the hospital when she was born. Guess how much that cost me out of pocket? NOTHING. Not a penny. She was my free baby. (Oh, and the year of infertility treatments I went through to get pregnant with her didn't cost me anything either.)
Since then, health insurance rates have increased for us exponentially and the level of service we receive has decreased exponentially. It's been awful.
I truly don't mind paying for insurance. And I don't mind paying for health care. What I mind is being gauged repeatedly by doctors who are paying too much for malpractice insurance and insurance companies who are held accountable by Wall Street for their bottom line. And most of all I hate having to fight tooth and nail for every penny that is due to my family. The time has come for a health care overhaul in this country.
Do I have the answers? Of course not. Do I think the politicians in DC have the answers? You know I don't. But somewhere out there is someone who does, and I pray to God that they will show up and fix our mess for us.
Until then, I have some phone calls to make. From the mental ward. : )
4 comments:
I don't have it as bad as some people, but can show you the spreadsheets I use to deal with all of the bills.
Feeling so lucky Dave is a fed. In my current situation, any extra stress would be completely unbearable. It's a crime so many people have to deal with this stuff.
Ha! Well said, Elaine. Each year our premiums go up and we have fewer benefits. Yet, like you, I feel fortunate to have the medical insurance. Tyler's 10 week stint in the NICU was a total of $750,000 and we didn't pay a penny. What frightens me more, however, is the so-called Health Care Reform. It scares the heck out of me. I'm sorry that you have been having so much trouble with these issues especially considering they shouldn't be complicated for the insurance company and doctors to work out. My belief is that these bills purposely fall under the cracks so that the customer gets confused to the point that they just go ahead and pay them. Smart but sad technique.
I wish we were amoung those who "did not pay a penny" but we've never experienced health care like that. We've met our maximum payout each year since Seb got sick...so I guess I feel fortunate that at least there is a cap and I try not to think about all the things we could do with all that money that we hemoragge toward health care. Dealing with Novant Health/Carolinas Medical Center/Duke/UNC is a daily part of our lives. As I type this Brian is on the phone with Presby working through payments (they always screw things up!) I have lived in a country with socialized medicine so I know what that is like en masse too and don't think it would be "thee" answer. Sebastian would have gone on a list for his initial MRI and would probably be still waiting for it...or dead! (Sigh)
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