It is my desire that everyone in this thread who is a US citizen, and finds our system to be chaotic and lacking keeps this in mind the next time they vote.
All politics is local and personal.
In this country the question to ask your doctor when having a heart attack is not can you help me...
One wonders if the that law also requires that this officer be easily reachable by phone.
The workaround sounds pretty sweet. That said, I suspect that high levels of patience, persistence, and willingness to play phone tag for several days will need to come into play.
I’ve known people who have just paid hospitals piecemeal. I would think that it’s bad press for a hospital to take someone to court over a medical bill and it’s bad press for insurance companies to deny claims.
I got the impression that ship has sailed for the insurance companies.
Um, seriously, that is their primary business model. It’s a feature, not a bug.
Patriotic conservatives are happy to risk bankruptcy if it means that Allah-lovers and lazy blacks don’t get their diseases and injuries treated.
Kinthalis, the Appeals Department letter did not simply state, “Nope, we’re not paying.” By law they have to give you a specific reason that falls into one of several categories. Can you share what that reason was?
Secondly, there are three levels of Appeals and you need to exhaust. The first is a clerical review of the coverage protocols, the second is reviewed by a medical professional, and the third by a Board of Trustees or an executive committee of the insurance company, with the advice of a medical professional unrelated to the other professional.
It isn’t until the third Appeal that your entire situation is considered. It’s very important that you follow through to the end - unless of course, you agree with the specific reason they give for denying your claim. So, while you may have been denied because you visited an out-of-network hospital emergency department for the treatment of a non-emergent condition, it gives you the opportunity to further explain your individual circumstances.
Then, if you owe them payment after all, call them and tell them you will be making monthly payments of $ ___ . They don’t want to ruin your life and have no interest in giving a collection agency half of what they collect. But they need to hear from you.
Finally, visit your doctor and take your medication religiously so you can be there for your family, watch your son grow up, and tell him how much you love him.
In your situation I would bring my plight to my state insurance commissioner. (You might start at your board of health.)
My wife did this because our insurance company at the time determined that a series of rabies shots was “optional”. Considering that maybe one person in a million survives an active case of rabies, their stance seemed patently ridiculous to us. And, in fact it was. The insurance company president eventually called my wife an appologized for the “misunderstanding” after getting his ears blistered by someone from the NY commissioner of insurance office.
(Emphasis added.) Would the insurance commissioner of an [del]anti-regulation[/del] pro-business state be as diligent, though? :dubious:
Care to list those states you question? I’m in Georgia and my Insurance Commissioner’s office was a huge help.
I don’t know. I wasn’t asking rhetorcially but in earnest, albeit with some skepticism.
Some states have elected governments that believe being pro-business means removing as many regulations as politically feasible, and promote themselves as low-regulation states to potential new or relocating businesses. I honestly don’t know if that extends to insurance, but it’s not preposterous to suspect so. I’m pleasantly surprised to learn it isn’t so in at least one such state.
Sailed, capsized, gone over a waterfall and cracked open on the rocks.
And then the rocks got cancer.