How I Spent My Friday Preparation

What a day! I spent my whole planning period on the phone with those fraudsters at Banishment Well-Being Concern concerning their refusal to process my insurance claims. Never mind that I've spoken to them three times since December 20, and each time was assured that the info I provided would take care of the problem. At first, they just needed the start date of Hick's current policy, which we've had for two years now, my secondary, because they thought IT was my primary, because there's no number like 01, 02, or 03 at then end of the policy number for the members on his family plan. After I tracked that down, they said my claims would process. The next time, they said the note with the info was in the file, they were just waiting for the people to get around to reprocessing. So here's today's runaround.

Banishment Well-Being Concern is not paying because now they say I must provide a TERMINATION DATE for insurance I had that started Jan. 1, 2007. Otherwise, they assume I am still covered by this insurance company, which they now say is through my very own current employer, which is the one paying the premiums for Banishment Well-Being Concern to be my primary insurance. It's a regular ouroboros. An O. Henry tale from the health care field. Oh, what a wicked web they weave! Then they act like I AM THE ONE BEING UNREASONABLE and trying to deceive!

To start with, I told that treacle-y sweet-talker that under no circumstances have I ever had insurance take effect on January 1, because my employer is a SCHOOL, and our policies always take effect on July 1. She hemmed and hawed about looking at the wrong screen. The wench put me on hold again for ten minutes, while she probably stepped outside for a smoke and a Krispy Kreme. They know they are being recorded, so they get all polite in a passive-aggressive way and give a long pause, and say, "Would you like me to check on that date to make sure?" Um. Yeah. Because there's no way that's right. She came back after running down to the Seven-11 for a burrito and a Big Gulp, and said, "Oh, that WAS the effective date."

When I complained that since July 1 (imagine that) they had not paid my claims, Sugar Lips said that wasn't true, she only saw two claims from December they hadn't paid, conveniently leaving out all the prescription issues I had for four months, and that the whole process was held up because I had not provided the needed information. I washed my hands of her and called the main office of my employer to see if they, perchance, had the termination date of an insurance policy from seven years ago. Nope. But they can send a letter declaring that they are paying for Banishment Well-Being Concern to insure me since July 1 this year, and that there is absolutely no other policy in effect that could be considered my primary. That's the backup plan.

I called our company insurance rep, who grinds the bones of these giants to make her bread. Of course she was on the phone, and I was down to my last five minutes of plan time. So I fired off an email with pertinent names and details.

No wonder people go without health insurance. Dealing with these companies is enough to make you sick.