1 post tagged “insurance”

The flu bug has our family in its grasp. Right now it is just myself and Lucian that are battling it, but everyone has had their share of it this past week. I attempted to get Lucian into the pediatrician's office, but the same old schpeel they fed me last time I tried to take him is what they fed me this time. My son has never been to the doctor. SHOCK! GASP!

Medical Neglect, you say? No; that would mean I have ignored his medical needs. I've tried to get him seen MANY times, but have been turned away. We have insurance, but when we attempt to utilize it to seek medical attention, we are told either

1. "You don't have insurance."
2. "You have a different insurance than the one you presented, and we don't take it."
3. "You have a different doctor and we can't see you, you need to go see that doctor."
4. "You could pay cash and your insurance will reimburse you."
   

The argument gets cyclical. I'll go to doctor A and s/he will say #3. We go to doctor B, whom Doctor A said was our doctor, and we are told either #1 or 2. If I argue, they look at me like I am retarded, and get hostile. I have attempted many, many times to get this cleared up with those that CAN fix it, and they give me a standard, "we'll research it, but it says here that [insert correct info here] so I don't know why that's happening. Just go back and tell them its okay." This is the exact reason I had absolutely no medical care while pregnant with Lucian. When something happened, I would just go to the ER because they CAN'T turn me away. This is what I've had to do with Lucian. This is what my husband has had to do. This really bothers me, because our ailments take away from those that are truly in need. The ER should not be our only recourse. My girls don't have this problem, because they have their primary insurance through their father's work and mine is secondary and picks up the copays. Our family simply does not have the money to pay cash and hope the insurance would reimburse us.

What is this terrible medical insurance, you ask? Medi-Cal. Yes, that state funded medical insurance so that no low income family will go without medical care is the exact one that is making it impossible for my family to get care. The workers that handle cases need to be retrained so this doesn't happen. And when they say they will do something, they should actually do it instead of blowing smoke up our butts just to get us off the phone. I know it is a hard job, and I appreciate the help they do do, but the condescension and downright lying isn't necessary.  /sigh