Greatest Health Care System in the World part 5,467
Next verse, same as the first.
When I went to my general practitioner's office Thursday because the front desk people called me for information and told me Monday that if I wanted my cholesterol medication refilled I had to see the doctor, the front desk people told me that I had to give them money due from previous visits. I told them that was impossible since I have Medicare and Medicaid for my insurance. No, they don't take Medicaid--déjà vu--so I have co-payments due. When did this happen that nobody told me about? (Like when they were on the phone with me Monday.) Sometime last year apparently, since I have a co-payment from October 2020 that nobody told me about until this very day. (I guess I should be glad that the COVID tests I took during that visit were free.) I also went in February and have a co-payment due, also not mentioned until this very day. My doctor had no clue.
Deeply pissed off, I talked to their Billing person, who was apologetic but said I had to pay $48 even though nobody bothered to tell me about the insurance change or co-payments 'til now. I told her I damned well wouldn't have come in to see this doctor in October or February or today if anyone had bothered to tell me that. Too bad, so sad, pay up, you can do monthly installments if you're poor! I told her I'd pay the $48 now by credit card if I didn't get charged for today's appointment. She said it would still kick out a bill automatically but I could just call her to get it dismissed. If anybody bothers to send me a bill until something else somehow happens. But I should stick with this doctor and office!
FFS.
My doctor told me that the front desk people shouldn't have made me come in just to get this refill because if he'd known he just would've given it to my pharmacy. Déjà vu again, this time to the pain management doctor's office. He said that maybe in the future I could send him messages on the doctor's website(!!) and that he wouldn't make me do blood tests for today's refill since, in-office, it no doubt wouldn't go to Medicaid and I'd be stuck paying a percentage of that too. My endocrinologist, as far as I know today, still takes my secondary insurance so he gave me a note asking her to blood test for my cholesterol too when I see her in July for my thyroid. He said he totally wouldn't blame me for going to another doctor in the future after everything that happened this day. Also, that his elderly parents got COVID but their insurance covers almost nothing so they're getting bills in the tens of thousands of dollars.
I'll have to find a doctor who actually takes Medicaid along with Medicare, but that's for later because I am mentally and emotionally not having this for now. That's two of my doctors' offices who've stopped accepting Medicaid during a plague year without anyone telling the actual doctors or me until the last second when I'm showing up for an appointment.
I got an e-mail asking me to rate my doctor visit but it didn't present any ways to rate him highly while roasting his front desk and billing people over the fires of hell. Including them telling me on the phone Monday that my appointment was for 11:45 am but the confirmation text saying it was 11:30 am, which turned out to be the actual time. You can comment here or at the Dreamwidth crosspost.
comments at Dreamwidth.
When I went to my general practitioner's office Thursday because the front desk people called me for information and told me Monday that if I wanted my cholesterol medication refilled I had to see the doctor, the front desk people told me that I had to give them money due from previous visits. I told them that was impossible since I have Medicare and Medicaid for my insurance. No, they don't take Medicaid--déjà vu--so I have co-payments due. When did this happen that nobody told me about? (Like when they were on the phone with me Monday.) Sometime last year apparently, since I have a co-payment from October 2020 that nobody told me about until this very day. (I guess I should be glad that the COVID tests I took during that visit were free.) I also went in February and have a co-payment due, also not mentioned until this very day. My doctor had no clue.
Deeply pissed off, I talked to their Billing person, who was apologetic but said I had to pay $48 even though nobody bothered to tell me about the insurance change or co-payments 'til now. I told her I damned well wouldn't have come in to see this doctor in October or February or today if anyone had bothered to tell me that. Too bad, so sad, pay up, you can do monthly installments if you're poor! I told her I'd pay the $48 now by credit card if I didn't get charged for today's appointment. She said it would still kick out a bill automatically but I could just call her to get it dismissed. If anybody bothers to send me a bill until something else somehow happens. But I should stick with this doctor and office!
FFS.
My doctor told me that the front desk people shouldn't have made me come in just to get this refill because if he'd known he just would've given it to my pharmacy. Déjà vu again, this time to the pain management doctor's office. He said that maybe in the future I could send him messages on the doctor's website(!!) and that he wouldn't make me do blood tests for today's refill since, in-office, it no doubt wouldn't go to Medicaid and I'd be stuck paying a percentage of that too. My endocrinologist, as far as I know today, still takes my secondary insurance so he gave me a note asking her to blood test for my cholesterol too when I see her in July for my thyroid. He said he totally wouldn't blame me for going to another doctor in the future after everything that happened this day. Also, that his elderly parents got COVID but their insurance covers almost nothing so they're getting bills in the tens of thousands of dollars.
I'll have to find a doctor who actually takes Medicaid along with Medicare, but that's for later because I am mentally and emotionally not having this for now. That's two of my doctors' offices who've stopped accepting Medicaid during a plague year without anyone telling the actual doctors or me until the last second when I'm showing up for an appointment.
I got an e-mail asking me to rate my doctor visit but it didn't present any ways to rate him highly while roasting his front desk and billing people over the fires of hell. Including them telling me on the phone Monday that my appointment was for 11:45 am but the confirmation text saying it was 11:30 am, which turned out to be the actual time. You can comment here or at the Dreamwidth crosspost.
comments at Dreamwidth.