Health Insurance Companies SUCK!

I started working at Margert back in September. They go through the Brooklyn Diocese for their health insurance and benefits. I've been bugging them for my health insurance card for months. I decided to pay out of pocket for my flu shot since luckily that was only $25. Of course Mt. Sinai sent me an additional bill for $70 for some mythical 'vaccine' which I contested and they said they would remove from my account. We'll see if that happens. Are the hospitals and insurance companies always trying to out-fuck each other with billing and denial claims? I wonder.

So I've been calling the Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield number for weeks. Back in October they claimed I wasn't in their system; to talk to my HR person. She called the Diocese and their insurance broker said they didn't accept the fax she sent in, they only took mailed forms - ARGH! Why hadn't anyone called about this change in policy. So my co-worker mailed in in back in mid to late October. I was in training for about three weeks and didn't get sick. Then I felt sick last Thursday and called; still no record of me in their system. WTF! Monday I returned to the office and talked with my co-worker who called her person, the insurance broker, who said she had me in her system, MetLife I believe, but Empire just must be slow in putting me into their system.

I've been sick since Thursday, taking illegal amoxicillan I got in Mexico as a backup. I think the drugs help a little by stopping the fever and muscle aches I had back on Friday and Saturday but the lung congestion and phlegm are all still there and I'm suffering BADLY.

So I call Empire again and all they have me down for is dental! WTF? I need medical NOW! They tell me to contact the insurance broker. My coworker calls her person and connects me. The woman is a ball of excuses! First it was her claiming it was our fault for getting the forms to her late. WTF? I told her we faxed the forms and wasn't told that their policy had changed to not accept faxed materials; that she really should not use that as an excuse for bad processing on their part. I told her I found it unprofessional for her to be putting this back on us as if it were our fault. It was their responsibility to tell us proper procedure to apply for a new addition to the health benefits and someone, ANYONE, should have called to tell out staff that when the received the faxed application and decided to ignore the application on procedural grounds; why wait for us to figure out they weren't processing anything, have us call, and then they tell us, "Oh, we don't take faxed applications." Money! Why tell someone they aren't in the system if not telling them gives them another month or more where they don't have to cover someone. ARGH! She was not going to bend or even recognize the anomaly where she had my information, Empire had me down for dental, so what happened to the medical coverage? Two other employees had to wait three months to get their Empire health coverage cards. I find this unacceptable and rather fishy. They get away with three months of not having to pay any health coverage while taking premiums. It's all to conveniently lined up to help them and their pocketbooks while I have a chest full of congested mucus, coughing fits, and a whole host of related health problems that I should really see a doctor for!!! The US health care system is sooooooo fucked up.

So I go to work. Can't afford to take vacation. Trying not the make my coworkers sick. I want to nap under my desk. This is a great fucking system we have and I don't even have to worry about a sick kid.