For Millions of Americans, Being
April 20, 2007 9:44 AM Subscribe
You dutifully pay your premiums, then the day comes when you actually need the insurance company to pay for something. In California, Blue Cross will "pre-authorize" a particular procedure, then when the time comes to pay, Blue Cross feels entitled to say,
"Blue Cross' pre-authorization for healthcare services is an advance determination of the medical necessity of a proposed procedure only; it is not a guarantee of payment," she said, adding that the caveat is "stated expressly" when the pre-authorization request is made.
This post was deleted for the following reason: sloe - this is a good topic but one ranty post about murder by spreadsheet doesn't leave room for much except OMG HEALTHCARE outragefilter responses. -- jessamyn
Private health care: The best in world if we decide you need treatment and we probably won't.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:55 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:55 AM on April 20, 2007
Perhaps it's time to start subsidizing faith based medical care?
posted by yeloson at 9:57 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by yeloson at 9:57 AM on April 20, 2007
Maybe that is a program whose time has come!!
posted by scissorhand2 at 9:59 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by scissorhand2 at 9:59 AM on April 20, 2007
I liked this FTrain article from a while back on health insurance. I think Americans really need to get over whatever bizarre hang ups they have about health care. I have no idea how a whole country has been convinced that filling pot holes is a valid service for the government to provide, but health care is not.
posted by chunking express at 10:05 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by chunking express at 10:05 AM on April 20, 2007
Man. I am having anger conniptions.
A couple of years ago while on vacation on the Oregon coast my wife, in the middle of the night, accidentally stepped off an un-lit un-marked cliff that was about ten feet out the back door of the hotel we were staying at (we got there at night). She cracked her head open pretty good.
I will skip the part about arguing with the beach patrol (they didn't have EMT) thinking I beat her up and the part where there was no ambulance coverage because they didn't FEEL like it.
And I will skip the lengthy part of having to drive to the hospital ourselves at 4am having no fucking idea where it was. Instead let me go the part where I fight with the emergency person, literally, to let us IN the fucking door then argue about insurance coverage while my wife bleeding profusely.
Then let me get to the part four months later where my insurance refuses to cover it becuase they say the hotel should... and two months later they take that back and say it's out of area... even though it is expressly IN the coverage area we had elected to pay MORE to expand.
And then the part where they tell me finally they paid the bill. Oh. Wait. A year later, when we were buying a house, where it shows up on our credit report BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T PAY THE BILL and I had to hire a fucking lawyer. And I sued them... but that was just out of spite.
ANGER CONNIPTIONS!!!!
posted by tkchrist at 10:06 AM on April 20, 2007 [2 favorites]
A couple of years ago while on vacation on the Oregon coast my wife, in the middle of the night, accidentally stepped off an un-lit un-marked cliff that was about ten feet out the back door of the hotel we were staying at (we got there at night). She cracked her head open pretty good.
I will skip the part about arguing with the beach patrol (they didn't have EMT) thinking I beat her up and the part where there was no ambulance coverage because they didn't FEEL like it.
And I will skip the lengthy part of having to drive to the hospital ourselves at 4am having no fucking idea where it was. Instead let me go the part where I fight with the emergency person, literally, to let us IN the fucking door then argue about insurance coverage while my wife bleeding profusely.
Then let me get to the part four months later where my insurance refuses to cover it becuase they say the hotel should... and two months later they take that back and say it's out of area... even though it is expressly IN the coverage area we had elected to pay MORE to expand.
And then the part where they tell me finally they paid the bill. Oh. Wait. A year later, when we were buying a house, where it shows up on our credit report BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T PAY THE BILL and I had to hire a fucking lawyer. And I sued them... but that was just out of spite.
ANGER CONNIPTIONS!!!!
posted by tkchrist at 10:06 AM on April 20, 2007 [2 favorites]
Sure worked for abstinence-only education!
*claps hands for prophylaxis...*
posted by darkstar at 10:07 AM on April 20, 2007
*claps hands for prophylaxis...*
posted by darkstar at 10:07 AM on April 20, 2007
Better dead than commie red!
That diatribe was more or less unreadable though. I understand the anger but yeesh.
posted by Fezboy! at 10:13 AM on April 20, 2007
That diatribe was more or less unreadable though. I understand the anger but yeesh.
posted by Fezboy! at 10:13 AM on April 20, 2007
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posted by chunking express at 9:49 AM on April 20, 2007