Lunch today

So, I had lunch today with two of my co-workers (because it was my bday!!) and one of them asked what I was doing this weekend. I told them that I was going to see SICKO tomorrow night (woohoo, finally, I got myself organized). We all started talking about our own health care experiences.

I talked about how I kept paying my Medtronic pump supply bills when they came in only to find out in a phone call with Medtronic that the bills they were sending weren't completely processed through my insurance and I actually had a $300.00 credit. I was mildly annoyed at that point, but when I told them I assumed I wouldn't be getting any more bills in the next few months, the representative (and she was nice) said "Oh, no, you'll have to call and let us know to deduct it from your overpayment because our billing program doesn't do that". You have got to be kidding me.

Take the example of my co-worker who had to take her son for a normal doctor visit only to have a few tests done. When she read through her "explanation of benefits", she saw that the doctor office had billed the insurance for tests that weren't done..... to the tune of $2,500. When she called the doctor's office, they were nonchalant and said "Oh, alright, we'll submit that to the insurance to be reimbursed from our office." When she went on to question the doctors office on when her insurance company (not even her!!) could expect to be reimbursed, the doctor's office said "a couple months".

Who has the time to read through all the medical jargon on those "explanation of benefits" to protect ourselves and the insurance companies?? Why should it be the consumer who PAYS for the "good insurance" we have to spend hours on the phone clearing an overpayment or to take on an over-zealous doctor's office who has billed the patient BEFORE waiting to see what the insurance will and won't pay for??

Note to all of you out there: if you don't read the medical bills (which, I will admit, I tend not to), you could be paying for the surgery that removed a pitchfork from your left toenail!!!!

Ah, God Bless the great insurance companies and medical billing departments we have out there to prove if we can rip each other off, we will..........