HMO's Suck

[Desdichado]

I've had nothing but great experiences with my HMOs. And I've never been told anything about the tone of my voice, although, by rights, I should have been called on it many, many times. I did have an H-P customer service supervisor hang up on me once, though. I called him back and yelled at him some more.

Still didn't fix my problem, though.

 

[Tom Cashel]

I have to ditto that, even though I sympathize and feel your pain, JoeG.

My health insurance paid the entire tab for my son's 68-day stay in the NICU. Grand total, over $300,000.00

I don't need to tell you what my life would be like now if we'd been saddled with that bill. My HMO rules!

 

[Treebore]

HMO's usually mess with you on nickel and dime stuff. When they do it to thousands it saves them millions. Only rarely will they mess with people on life and death situations. I also like it when they act like they are not a representative of their company, so where do you get off yelling at them? Its not their fault how the company they don't represent, but work for, makes the rules.

 

[TimSmith]

Despite the endless political arguments we get over here in the UK, these examples of bad service from insurance companies (when you're ill and can't deal with them as effectively as you might otherwise, after all) make me appreciate our National Health Service more....

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

I recently found out that I have had medical insurance for the last 6 years.

Imagine, finding out after paying thousands in hospital bills and RX bills, that you had insurance just sitting there.

$3 a perscription for generic, $9 for brand name.

Good caps ($75K catastrophic single visit cap) and all kinds of benifits.

My problem isn't with my insurance company, it's with the collection agencies and some of the hospitals I'm getting my bills from. See, if I collect them all, my insurance pays for them, they repay me for what I've paid, and the unpaid balance the hospital has to suck up. I can only be charged a set amount for services.

(It's TRICARE Prime for those of you wondering)

I get the runaround, hassalled, threats, all kinds of fun stuff, when the hospital or collection agency discovers I can only be billed $75 per X-ray, and the other $60 they just have to eat.

So I can understand, to an extant, what you're going through, Joe.

The American medical system has gone from caring for the sick and injured to victimizing and taking advantage of Americans.

And don't even get me started on hospitals and doctors doing major surgery for free on people from other countries that they fly in, at thier own expense, and care for for months, while people here in America die from lack of proper medical care.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Despite the endless political arguments we get over here in the UK, these examples of bad service from insurance companies (when you're ill and can't deal with them as effectively as you might otherwise, after all) make me appreciate our National Health Service more....

Many of us are jealous of you folks in the Canadian & European health care systems. 50% of all personal bankruptcies in the USA are due to excessive medical bills. Despite us here in the US hearing stories about Canadians & Europeans waiting months to see a doctor, Americans tend to have much worse access to their primary doctors than Canadians & Europeans. This is despite the US spending way more per capita on health care than any other nation on earth. It also hurts the competiveness of US businesses in the new global economy. Companies like ING or Axa or Mercedes in Europe don't have tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in health care costs dragging down their income statements like their American equivalents.

Amazingly, we do have a wonderful nationalized health care system here in America. But, that is only for our military veterans through our VA hospitals.

 

[BryonD]

Your claims could be shredded if political discussion was allowed.
But it isn't.

 

[Napftor]

It all comes down to insurance companies practicing medicine. They decide what doctor you can see, they decide how many pills you can have, and they decide what kind of pills you can have. I work at a pharmacy and I can't tell you how many times I have to tell people that their Rx for Celebrex, Prevacid, Aciphex, Bextra, etc. etc. aren't covered by their insurance.

And do you good folks know why? Because insurance companies don't want to pay for these expensive medicines! I mean, WTF are we paying them for?! *pulls hair out* So, everyday I go to work is a new day full of insurance challenges. Much fun.

 

[Treebore]

OK Warlord,

How the heck do you pay six years of premiums on Tri Care and not know you have them as an insurer? You a 100% disabled veteran or something?

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

OK Warlord,

How the heck do you pay six years of premiums on Tri Care and not know you have them as an insurer? You a 100% disabled veteran or something?

Bingo.

When I exited Fort Hood, all of us in the Disability Retirement Listing briefing were told, in no uncertian terms, that we would NOT be covered under CHAMPUS/TriCare or any of the other medical insurance, that soldier's discharged after 1991 for medical conditions, line of duty or not, were not eligible.

So I went for years with no idea that it was just sitting there. I don't have to pay premiums on it or anything else, and seeing as I'm over 100 via roads from a VA hospital (and don't believe the hype, with loads of VA facilities getting shut down and major budget cuts going on since 2000, VA Medical isn't as timely or good as it is rumored to be) I get an upgrade and permission to use any of the local hospitals.

The only reason I found out that I hade TriCare was that I decided that the $465/yr premium for my family was a lot cheaper than any other insurance plan, I called up, and they told me I had it. I asked for written proof, got proof and my TriCare cards for my family.

Needless to say, I was surprised.