Medical Insurance is so frustrating...

My condition is not nearly so severe as many other people dealing with the woes of medical insurance, and for that I must be grateful. Working with medical insurances is so frustrating. I don't blame anyone, the people who speak with me on the phone are very kind and they honestly want to help. I'm sure they deal with disgruntled customers on a daily basis. I am never rude to them. Usually the person I'm talking with is not the one at fault, they're never the ones answering the phones. Honestly though, the system is flawed and it doesn't take many times using it to see that. Do I have all the answers? No. But I would like to rant about it all the same.

Basically, my workplace changed medical insurances. I have already been working with my current neuromuscular dentist, I'm happy with the treatment, and I'd like to just finish up and get it done with. The problem is she is out of network. So I requested her to be covered and it got denied so I'm trying to appeal. They basically want to just recommend me to another doctor. So I called that doctor's office just to see what I'd be in for. Switching doctors costs so much money! Plus, then you're not sure if that treatment is going to work and why mess with a good thing when I've been so happy with my current treatment?

I hear/see a lot of people on medical boards constantly suggesting to get a lot of opinions. That is so easy to say, but do you know how much each of those opinions cost? Especially because the doctor will have you come in multiple times just to give you an opinion. Like the consultation for the new doctor alone was $250 and the receptionist then said they would take x-rays, which costs another $600. Wow...$850 just for maybe getting to speak with the doctor? I don't think so! She also said it would be "covered" but that just means you will be paying up to your deductible, which if you're like me, is ridiculously high to begin with. So no, it's not technically covered.

I asked if I could just talk with the dentist on the phone to understand how his treatment works and see if it was right for me. She actually laughed at me and said he doesn't even have a lunch break, so "no." I guess that's a strange question to ask...to speak with the doctor on the phone without paying him hundreds of dollars first. My bad!

So where does that leave me? Well, I already have a ton of medical costs behind me and a ton more in my future. I want to get out, but there's no easy way. Plus, time is also a factor. Last time I finally had my treatment covered it counted towards last year's deductible. This meant that it was basically a fairy tale. It existed in some time warp I would never actually reap the benefits of. How convenient.

This time, I'm waiting to get the treatment. I'm first getting it approved and I'm getting it approved at the beginning of a new calendar year to give me plenty of time to get the money. Hopefully it will work, who knows? I'm sure there are many loop holes I'm still not aware of.

Either way, I am trying to be optimistic. I really am. I don't have a fatal condition. This post is really for those people. How do these companies expect people who are seriously ill or injured to get the treatment they need? How do they expect them to afford it? My circumstances are trivial in comparison to what others are facing. It is utterly horrific what businesses put people through. We're talking about the life and well-being of others, can we really put a price on that?

This probably won't be my last venting about medical insurance, but I truly hope for the sake of everyone that this system is improved. If anyone has any ideas about this, please share!