Just got a bill from the laboratory that did the blood work for my recent physical: a whopping $1,023 because Kaiser Permanente is refusing to pay any of it
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Mine's not going away. From the fact that I got two separate Explanation of Benefits mailings, I deduce that the lab tried twice in vain with my insurance company. Now they're passing the problem onto me. I hope it's as simple as calling them and telling them that the physical wasn't for work or school. They covered it last year, after all.
It's stupid that the insurance company couldn't call me and ask. Also a little stupid that the lab couldn't do the same, considering they saw the reason for the rejection the first time around.
Since when does a for-profit company that benefits when I don't GET benefits know what *I* need?
Gosh, it sounds as if "a bureaucrat has come between you and your doctor," but we all know that never happens in our perfect system.
What's extra retarded in my case is that KP is supposed to be non-profit, and I actually work for a startup that's funded by KP. Hey, there's an idea: I could get HR to lean on them for me!
I can afford to pay the bill while I'm fighting it in order to keep my credit from being destroyed, but I shouldn't have to, and I feel bad for all the people who don't have that luxury.
My husband's insurance, which the baby is also on, doesn't cover the co-pay for well child visits (the regular checkups that babies and kids are supposed to have at certain intervals). Babies have them at 1 week old, 2 weeks old, 4 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months...you get the drift. A lot of checkups. PRETTY MUCH EVERY INSURANCE IN THE WORLD covers those as a preventative physical type thing. Not covering them is so unheard of that our clinic never even bothered to check if we had to pay a co-pay for them. So then we ended up getting back-billed for all of them, which is not thaaaat much money, but it's still an unexpected bill and...ugh. Everyone I've told about this says, "That's impossible, they have to cover those, you have to call them and dispute it. So we did. Still no.
Not covering preventative care is retarded. Not just morally retarded, but also fiscally retarded.
In the past I've had my brushes with Copay-mania (chiropractor in 2002, physical therapist in 2007) where bi- or tri-weekly visits add up really quick, and I consider switching from a PPO to an HMO, which usually don't charge copays, but then one must get permission for every little thing.
Ugh. There's no good solution. Well, being ultra-wealthy and having Cadillac health insurance. Must. Get. On. That.
Good luck with this. And as you said in response to someone else's comment, perhaps someone at your company can help you out with this as well. A few years ago, BCBS was trying to make me pay low five figures for some migraine-related treatments, and it didn't get resolved until my school's COO got involved.
Thanks, I'll call first thing tomorrow morning. I'm hoping that telling them the physical wasn't for work or school will clear things up, but if not, it's straight to the HR office.
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UGH!
AND I have like the highest, best level of coverage... like the Cadillac of all plans.
Let us know if it gets resolved. I was kinda hoping mine would just go away.
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It's stupid that the insurance company couldn't call me and ask. Also a little stupid that the lab couldn't do the same, considering they saw the reason for the rejection the first time around.
* browses website about how to move to the UK *
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At one of my last visits I was informed that a procedure was not seen as "necessary" by my insurance as well and had to foot the bill.
Since when does a for-profit company that benefits when I don't GET benefits know what *I* need?
Man it was CRAZY. It was for an x-ray when my dr thought I broke my ankle.
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Gosh, it sounds as if "a bureaucrat has come between you and your doctor," but we all know that never happens in our perfect system.
What's extra retarded in my case is that KP is supposed to be non-profit, and I actually work for a startup that's funded by KP. Hey, there's an idea: I could get HR to lean on them for me!
I can afford to pay the bill while I'm fighting it in order to keep my credit from being destroyed, but I shouldn't have to, and I feel bad for all the people who don't have that luxury.
Reply
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In the past I've had my brushes with Copay-mania (chiropractor in 2002, physical therapist in 2007) where bi- or tri-weekly visits add up really quick, and I consider switching from a PPO to an HMO, which usually don't charge copays, but then one must get permission for every little thing.
Ugh. There's no good solution. Well, being ultra-wealthy and having Cadillac health insurance. Must. Get. On. That.
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