Thursday, March 3, 2011

aaaaaarrrrggghh! (the sound frustration makes)

Good news - I have a single 11 mm follicle on the open side :)  This is really good news except for the bad news. . .

All of a sudden, out of nowhere my insurance has decided NOT to cover my ultrasounds.  I arrive this morning only to be handed a wavier that I had to sign saying I would be responsible for the charges.  When I asked if this was going to be the $125 out of pocket cash charge or the $500 they bill my insurance each time the response was . . . I don't know, but you cant get your ultrasound unless you sign.

I asked for the authorization coordinator to call me.  When I didn't hear back by 2 pm I called.   She was too busy to speak to me and could call me back, but not today.

SO, I have spent about 3 hours today on the phone asking questions of my insurance plan, asking questions of my clinic, my pharmacy, my hospital and I have gotten NOWHERE.  I still have no idea how much they are going to bill me or if my next one will be covered.  But I have to have them done.  I am now mid cycle with a good follicle so I am certainly not pulling out here. (bad contraceptive pun intended)

I am so frustrated I could scream.  I hate hate hate hate insurance companies.  I pay a lot of money monthly to get this insurance and the only reason I don't go through my husbands insurance is that we were keeping the infertility coverage.

Just sad that they had to make me so upset on a day I could actually be excited about something my body was doing.

Okay think positive . . . . think positive.  Gooooo follicle!  Grow big and ovulate out so I don't have to deal with stupid health insurance for infertility . . . actually, that is an exceptionally positive thought!

A little pregnancy may cure a lot of things!

5 comments:

  1. That is so frustrating! I hate dealing with insurance companies! I hope it all works out!

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  2. That's infuriating!!! And, seriously, if you have infertility coverage, then how can they not be covering them?

    I hate insurance so much. Mine covers nothing even vaguely associated with IF. But, my REs have been good about having "non-insured" prices since most in Missouri have no coverage. Not that $110 per u/s is "cheap" but at least it isn't the $1000 the OB billed me for an u/s before my insurance paid it (when I was pregnant and u/s were covered...)

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  3. Man you just can't catch a break this week!

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  4. I have to say I don't understand this approach to insurance where the doctor's office and insurance company cannot/do not work these things out, and bring the patient into the middle of it. And you get to be the one to spend HOURS on the phone trying to get to the bottom of it. I had to have an u/s to evaluate a fibroid and went through a similar experience-I was told that I had to obtain my records from my previous provider and fax those to the insurance company. Um, what? My doctor's office told me that they worked it out and that they approved the procedure, but then I get this letter from insurance that says basically that they have approved it but that they may still opt not to pay for the procedure/part of the procedure, blah blah blah.

    Unfortunately for my insurance company, I am an angry old woman with expiring eggs and will make the time to stay on the phone for hours sorting this stuff out. But I do think its ridiculous and shameful what they put people through at an already stressful time.

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  5. Being Canadian, I go back and forth, back and forth on which system would be better as we experienced the US system first hand at CCRM for our IVF. Plain and simple...it all sucks!! I guess I don't have the luxury of dealing with Insurance companies but I HATE that I can't just pick and choose which doctor I want to see and wait forever and a day for treatment until you are in the system. Ugh...hoping you find a happy medium soon.

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