After taking a few days away from here, I realize just how much I need to write and share. Over the years, I've learned to visit with my followers as though they were seated beside me, sipping coffee or tea or bloody mary or chardonnay, or whatever. I missed you all.
I won't dwell on my recent setback, but will update. After my surgical procedure was denied by insurance, I received in the mail a letter from a contracted agent of Medicare known as National Government Services. (Yes, our Medicare Program pays our $$ to other entities to deny our health care claims. The money that we should be getting is going to another agency to deny our right to insurance that we pay for. Please allow that to sink in.)
The paper on which the letter was written is 2-sided, back and front. On the front, is the letter addressed to me, which in part reads: "Certain hospital outpatient department services that are cosmetic and are not medically necessary are not a Medicare covered benefit." On the reverse side, they sent me a copy of the denial letter that was sent to the hospital. Here is what is written to the hospital: "The visual field studies to support the visual field loss reported and photographs were not included in the documentation provided." I read that line over about five times. You have got to be kidding me. The hospital took a series of photographs in the medical photography section of the hospital and I had peripheral vision testing done, as well. For what? None of it was sent to Medicare to support my claim.
That's not the end of it. When I realized the source of the error, I tried calling the hospital to speak with the surgeon's assistant. (I want them to know that I know why my procedure was denied. The hospital naturally didn't tell me they screwed up.) A voicemail took me to another department, where I left a message. About an hour later, I received a call back. The person who returned my call told me how sorry she was and would do what she could. A day passed. Yesterday I got a call from that same person, giving me the name and number of a person in the department responsible for the error. She tried connecting me directly with this person, but, once again, I got a voicemail. No call back.
Like the above meme shows, my umbrella is upside down and hopefully my garden of good thoughts will grow and blossom into an approved surgical procedure.
It's good to be back.
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