Sunday, April 19, 2015

That which pushes me to tears every single time

As you all know, I have a great deal going on in my life right now.  I'm fully aware that I'm doing a great deal of denying of feelings, stuffing, ignoring and otherwise not dealing with emotions I have going on right now. 

I'm spending a lot of time with friends, keeping myself distracted.  I'm painting.  I'm sleeping too much.

Anyway, I'm doing all this emotional denial and then I'll crack to pieces over issues with my health  insurance.

I'm grateful to have health insurance at all.  Having none would be a lot worse.  But, the incredible amount of stress that has gone along with getting coverage started and then navigating the various obstacles the company has tossed in my way has pushed me over into crying fits several times.

First, just getting coverage was a toughie.  I had to fax proof of dependents.  Then I had to fax proof that we were not covered.  The company then made our eligibility date retro active.  They charged us for coverage we were eligible in the past.  Since they had not received the premium for this coverage, they charged me 1 and 1/2 times that much over 3 of my paychecks.  None of this was disclosed to me and since I don't have a Tardis or a souped up Delorean, it was impossible for me to take advantage of the benefits I was charged for.  They validate this charge by stating we could submit receipts for any doctor's visits we had during the time we weren't covered. 

So, I get through all that.  The premiums settle into what they are going to be for the rest of the time I'm with this company.  Then, we move into prescription coverage.  The top tier antidepressant that works for me isn't something the company wants to cover.  They want me to be on something generic or have preauthorization from my doctor.  I spent over 90 minutes on the phone with my doctor's office, the pharmacy and the insurance company.  The preauthorization finally (after almost 3 weeks) arrived in the mail this week.

In addition to the authorization I was waiting on, I got a couple of letters from my prescription coverage stating that if I didn't go with picking up a 90 day supply of my 'scrips at a time, I would have to pay full retail.  This involves me calling my pharmacy, telling them I need the 90 day supply.  Then they call my doctor to get approval of a 90 day supply.

If my doc refuses to give me 90 days at a time, I'm SOL.  I have to pay close to $400 a month out of pocket.  Or I have to swap medication or swap to a doctor that will allow me 90 days at a time.

This bullshit, THIS sends me into crying hysterics.  I'm able to hold it together through everything else, but dealing with my insurance company reduces me to the emotional equivalent of a tired, over-stimulated 2 year old that has been denied a cookie.

Thank goodness I have tissues.