A Brief Essay on What is Wrong With The American Healthcare System Today.
A Brief Essay on What is Wrong With The American Healthcare System Today
I have spent 3 months trying to get a record of my pregnancy on file with my insurance company, as is their internal policy before they will pay any benefits towards a hospital stay for the delivery of my child. After 3 months of very politely playing their game, speaking to their reps, jumping through their hoops like a good dog, I got (yet another) call this morning from the hospital billing department informing me that there is no record on file with my health insurance, and therefore I owe the $11,000 that was due 2 weeks ago out of pocket.
Obviously, this is unacceptable.
Also obviously, I am very pregnant, and therefore I hold the superpower that is extreme hormones, to be used as desired.
I also have a background in working with insurances, so I know how the system works to an extent. The reps you talk to when you call the customer line have such a high turnover rate that they don't bother to teach them anything but the basics of the basics, and they don't teach them how to handle anything that happens outside the box. They most likely mean well, but because of their lack of information, the answers you get from them are almost always inevitably wrong, or at least slightly incorrect. (ALWAYS write down the name of the rep you speak with, the date you called, and specifically what information That person provides you with.) therefore, if you actually want to get anything accomplished, you must speak with a supervisor, and in many cases, that supervisor's supervisor.
However, one thing they DO train these folks in, is to avoid involving the supervisors unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary (because otherwise, the supervisors would never get anythign done, because everyone would be dealing with supervisors instead of reps), so they will give you the run-around if they can. Unless you give them a very specific reason to transfer the call to a supervisor, they will be reprimanded for doing so, so they'll do their best not to.
Therefore, toothbrush in mouth because that's how I'd been caught, I called the company back, got on the phone with some poor rep who didn't derserve it, and when she asked what the reason for my call was, I flipped the hormone switch on and released a string of obscenities relating to the 'efficiency' of their company and the sheer lunacy of the fact that 3 months after I tried to make sure it was on file, I'm about to go into labor and there is still "no record". It worked. she asked me not to swear at her, and I explained that that was why I needed to speak to a supervisor, so she wouldn't be yelled at by the crazy hormonal pregnant lady. she seemed confused, but I got my transfer as I knew I would...they don't like to have their reps sworn at for no good reason...that justifies the transfer. Her position protected, my goals met.
Guess what? after three months of being polite and jumping through their hoops, I started being extremely rude and made my own damn hoop, and suddenly that supervisor has tracked down all the paperwork that "didn't exist" and I no longer owe $11,000.
I find that disgusting.
I have spent 3 months trying to get a record of my pregnancy on file with my insurance company, as is their internal policy before they will pay any benefits towards a hospital stay for the delivery of my child. After 3 months of very politely playing their game, speaking to their reps, jumping through their hoops like a good dog, I got (yet another) call this morning from the hospital billing department informing me that there is no record on file with my health insurance, and therefore I owe the $11,000 that was due 2 weeks ago out of pocket.
Obviously, this is unacceptable.
Also obviously, I am very pregnant, and therefore I hold the superpower that is extreme hormones, to be used as desired.
I also have a background in working with insurances, so I know how the system works to an extent. The reps you talk to when you call the customer line have such a high turnover rate that they don't bother to teach them anything but the basics of the basics, and they don't teach them how to handle anything that happens outside the box. They most likely mean well, but because of their lack of information, the answers you get from them are almost always inevitably wrong, or at least slightly incorrect. (ALWAYS write down the name of the rep you speak with, the date you called, and specifically what information That person provides you with.) therefore, if you actually want to get anything accomplished, you must speak with a supervisor, and in many cases, that supervisor's supervisor.
However, one thing they DO train these folks in, is to avoid involving the supervisors unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary (because otherwise, the supervisors would never get anythign done, because everyone would be dealing with supervisors instead of reps), so they will give you the run-around if they can. Unless you give them a very specific reason to transfer the call to a supervisor, they will be reprimanded for doing so, so they'll do their best not to.
Therefore, toothbrush in mouth because that's how I'd been caught, I called the company back, got on the phone with some poor rep who didn't derserve it, and when she asked what the reason for my call was, I flipped the hormone switch on and released a string of obscenities relating to the 'efficiency' of their company and the sheer lunacy of the fact that 3 months after I tried to make sure it was on file, I'm about to go into labor and there is still "no record". It worked. she asked me not to swear at her, and I explained that that was why I needed to speak to a supervisor, so she wouldn't be yelled at by the crazy hormonal pregnant lady. she seemed confused, but I got my transfer as I knew I would...they don't like to have their reps sworn at for no good reason...that justifies the transfer. Her position protected, my goals met.
Guess what? after three months of being polite and jumping through their hoops, I started being extremely rude and made my own damn hoop, and suddenly that supervisor has tracked down all the paperwork that "didn't exist" and I no longer owe $11,000.
I find that disgusting.