Your Call Is Important To Us

I had to make two calls to insurance companies this morning. There were two problems that needed attention.

Let me establish two points:

  • My call is important to them
  • My blood pressure is currently high enough to power the hydraulic system in a 737

In my first call, to my dental insurance provider, I waited on hold 10 minutes before a human picked up the phone. While waiting, Helaine and I discussed whether the on hold music was specifically chosen to encourage people to hang up. It is.

The agent who answered couldn’t find my claim because he was health, not dental. He gave me the dental number.

STOP!

That’s the number I called! Had I not looked, I would have gotten back in the same queue.

It was about this point I realized, I must dot every “i” and cross every “t,” but they don’t have to do anything. Sure there’s an obligation to get it right at some point, but no incentive to get it right the first time… and, if I get frustrated and give up, that’s a disincentive to get it right the first time.

I was calling because they sent me a notice saying they paid $.00 of $149 in dental bills.

It turns out, they had paid the bill. I am told the dentist already cashed the check.

Why did they send me this? Who knows? The person I spoke with certainly didn’t. No explanation.

If I got the paperwork wrong… well, you know.

The second call was to our drug plan about a prescription. It’s for a daily medication. It was for 12 months worth. They should have filled the prescription for 90 days – but only filled it for 30. That’s because the doctor wrote it up as twelve one month supplies.

What difference does it make? Well, the 30 day supply is $10. So is the 90 day supply!

I need to get another prescription to get this dispensed in 90 day chunks. So, now my pain also becomes the doctor’s pain.

Here’s the frustrating part. The prescription will be for the exact same number of tablets! It will still be for a year. It will still be for the same number of pills every month. There is no practical difference – none.

There is no reason for me to submit a new prescription, except to cut my cost. This resubmission has nothing to do with medicine.

I am really upset. This wouldn’t be a good day to piss me off.

2 thoughts on “Your Call Is Important To Us”

  1. My health insurance company sends me statements, and for each item there is a column marked “negotiated discount or not covered.” In other words, the amount listed is either the amount they saved through a negotiated rate with the service provider, or the charge for something not covered under the policy.

    To me, it makes a big difference which it is, but the insurance company doesn’t care; either way, they’re not paying. So they fail to break out the item into two columns, as that would cost them…essentially nothing? Gotta love those folks.

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