Obamacare and Me: The Odyssey Continues
As open enrollment for ACA-mandated health insurance draws to a close, as of this moment I'm absolutely certain that I either have one policy, two policies, or no policies in effect.
To summarize the story to date:
In mid December, after the health care policy I liked and wanted to keep was canceled out from under me, I successfully navigated the Healthcare.gov obstacle course, during which two phone helpers gave me diametrically conflicting advice. I guessed correctly which advice to follow, and by the end of this process, which was taking place during a personal health crisis, I had obtained an Exchange coverage plan in time not to not die from kidney cancer.
One month later, on the eve of my kidney removal operation, my new health insurance company informed me that my doctors were not on their plan after all (contrary to what I thought I had seen on their sign-up page, and despite what the doctors themselves had told me). But I learned that my procedure would be authorized anyway -- this time -- under a "continuity of care" principle. The next day, into the operating room I went, and out came the bad kidney.
In late February, when I was back on my feet, I hit the phone to see if I could find a way to keep the doctor who'd just saved my life. After spending some time talking with various people at my new insurance company, I applied with the same outfit for a non-Exchange plan that would allow me to keep my doctors.
Fast forward:
By March 21 the company still had taken no action on my request to change plans. I spent more than an hour on the phone trying to find out what was going on. No one could tell me, but late that afternoon I received an email stating that my application had just been approved. The email also advised me not to cancel my existing plan until I had received and reviewed my membership materials.
Today (March 31) is deadline day, the day that open enrollment ends and everyone must have their ACA-required coverage for the year in place. But as of this morning, I still had not received the membership materials my insurance company had promised. I checked and found out that the credit card I had submitted with my application had not been charged. This raises questions. Is my new policy in effect, or not? Can I cancel my old one? If not, must I now pay the April premium for the old policy? If I do pay the April premium, which will be past due tomorrow, will both policies then be in effect? If so, will I be able to get a refund for the old one? Is there something wrong with the credit card number that I submitted for the new plan? So, I fired up the cell phone just after 9:30 AM. Here is what followed:
9:38: I call the toll-free number -- the second of two listed on my March 21 email as the numbers to call with any questions -- and get a voicemail inviting me to leave a detailed message. I disconnect.
9:40: I call the first of the two numbers listed on the email, which is not toll free. A woman answers the phone. Her greeting is garbled but I do not recognize the company name that she mentions. I identify the company I'm trying to call and ask her if I've reached the right number. She says that she is with the company, but that I've reached a department that is only for inquiries about broker commissions. I double check to make sure I have dialed the number I had intended to dial, the one listed on the email, and I see that I have. I point this out to her, but she insists that I have not called the correct number. She gives me a third number to call.
9:43: I call the third number. I am on hold for 1 hour 12 minutes. Finally, a man answers the phone. I explain in detail who I am and what I need. He apologizes and tells me I have called the wrong number. He offers to transfer me to the correct number. I explain that I have already been on hold for nearly an hour and a quarter, and that I had been transferred to him by another person in his company who'd assured me this would be the right number. He apologizes but repeats that he can't help me and will need to transfer me. I agree to let him do so.
11:00: I am transferred to my fourth number of the day and am on hold for 7 minutes, after which a lady comes on the line. I repeat my detailed explanation of who I am and what I am trying to accomplish. She looks up my account, and is able to confirm for me what I already knew, that my application was approved. But she says she needs to put me on hold to research my other questions. At 11:15 she comes back on the line and tells me that she cannot answer my questions, but will transfer me to someone who can. At this point I believe I hear her tell me that she will stay on the line to make sure the call goes through. She transfers me to a call that answers with hold music, and does not stay on the line.
1:15 PM: I have been on hold at this fifth number for two hours. The hold recording is interesting. First, a canned voice says, "We apologize for the delay. Your call is important to us. The next available representative will be with you shortly." This is followed by a clip of music that runs about ten seconds. Some of the music clips provide a snippet of what apparently is intended to be a health tip. More than half of the tips contain only a sentence fragment, such as: "-- Until children reach one year of age and weigh 20 pounds." A few do contain a complete thought, like this one did: "Walking can help you manage stress and soothe your feelings. For your safety select a good pair of walking shoes that support your arches and heels. And always remember to check with your doctor before starting a walking program." This useful tidbit is followed by a minute of dead silence, followed by another message stating, "We apologize for the delay. We know your time is valuable and we appreciate your patience. Please continue to hold and we will be with you soon." And the cycle repeats. And repeats.
1:30 PM: My cell phone is dying, my stomach is rumbly, and I'm giving up to go grab a late lunch. If a bus smacks into my Mustang while I'm on my burger run, or if I have a stress-induced heart attack at the wheel, will I be covered?
Come to think of it, maybe I should walk. I heard somewhere that walking could help manage my stress and soothe my feelings. I do happen to have a good pair of walking shoes, although I have not checked with my doctor to see if a walking program of this nature is advisable for me. At this point, I'm not sure who my doctor is, or if I have one.
Stay tuned.
To summarize the story to date:
In mid December, after the health care policy I liked and wanted to keep was canceled out from under me, I successfully navigated the Healthcare.gov obstacle course, during which two phone helpers gave me diametrically conflicting advice. I guessed correctly which advice to follow, and by the end of this process, which was taking place during a personal health crisis, I had obtained an Exchange coverage plan in time not to not die from kidney cancer.
One month later, on the eve of my kidney removal operation, my new health insurance company informed me that my doctors were not on their plan after all (contrary to what I thought I had seen on their sign-up page, and despite what the doctors themselves had told me). But I learned that my procedure would be authorized anyway -- this time -- under a "continuity of care" principle. The next day, into the operating room I went, and out came the bad kidney.
In late February, when I was back on my feet, I hit the phone to see if I could find a way to keep the doctor who'd just saved my life. After spending some time talking with various people at my new insurance company, I applied with the same outfit for a non-Exchange plan that would allow me to keep my doctors.
Fast forward:
By March 21 the company still had taken no action on my request to change plans. I spent more than an hour on the phone trying to find out what was going on. No one could tell me, but late that afternoon I received an email stating that my application had just been approved. The email also advised me not to cancel my existing plan until I had received and reviewed my membership materials.
Today (March 31) is deadline day, the day that open enrollment ends and everyone must have their ACA-required coverage for the year in place. But as of this morning, I still had not received the membership materials my insurance company had promised. I checked and found out that the credit card I had submitted with my application had not been charged. This raises questions. Is my new policy in effect, or not? Can I cancel my old one? If not, must I now pay the April premium for the old policy? If I do pay the April premium, which will be past due tomorrow, will both policies then be in effect? If so, will I be able to get a refund for the old one? Is there something wrong with the credit card number that I submitted for the new plan? So, I fired up the cell phone just after 9:30 AM. Here is what followed:
9:38: I call the toll-free number -- the second of two listed on my March 21 email as the numbers to call with any questions -- and get a voicemail inviting me to leave a detailed message. I disconnect.
9:40: I call the first of the two numbers listed on the email, which is not toll free. A woman answers the phone. Her greeting is garbled but I do not recognize the company name that she mentions. I identify the company I'm trying to call and ask her if I've reached the right number. She says that she is with the company, but that I've reached a department that is only for inquiries about broker commissions. I double check to make sure I have dialed the number I had intended to dial, the one listed on the email, and I see that I have. I point this out to her, but she insists that I have not called the correct number. She gives me a third number to call.
9:43: I call the third number. I am on hold for 1 hour 12 minutes. Finally, a man answers the phone. I explain in detail who I am and what I need. He apologizes and tells me I have called the wrong number. He offers to transfer me to the correct number. I explain that I have already been on hold for nearly an hour and a quarter, and that I had been transferred to him by another person in his company who'd assured me this would be the right number. He apologizes but repeats that he can't help me and will need to transfer me. I agree to let him do so.
11:00: I am transferred to my fourth number of the day and am on hold for 7 minutes, after which a lady comes on the line. I repeat my detailed explanation of who I am and what I am trying to accomplish. She looks up my account, and is able to confirm for me what I already knew, that my application was approved. But she says she needs to put me on hold to research my other questions. At 11:15 she comes back on the line and tells me that she cannot answer my questions, but will transfer me to someone who can. At this point I believe I hear her tell me that she will stay on the line to make sure the call goes through. She transfers me to a call that answers with hold music, and does not stay on the line.
1:15 PM: I have been on hold at this fifth number for two hours. The hold recording is interesting. First, a canned voice says, "We apologize for the delay. Your call is important to us. The next available representative will be with you shortly." This is followed by a clip of music that runs about ten seconds. Some of the music clips provide a snippet of what apparently is intended to be a health tip. More than half of the tips contain only a sentence fragment, such as: "-- Until children reach one year of age and weigh 20 pounds." A few do contain a complete thought, like this one did: "Walking can help you manage stress and soothe your feelings. For your safety select a good pair of walking shoes that support your arches and heels. And always remember to check with your doctor before starting a walking program." This useful tidbit is followed by a minute of dead silence, followed by another message stating, "We apologize for the delay. We know your time is valuable and we appreciate your patience. Please continue to hold and we will be with you soon." And the cycle repeats. And repeats.
1:30 PM: My cell phone is dying, my stomach is rumbly, and I'm giving up to go grab a late lunch. If a bus smacks into my Mustang while I'm on my burger run, or if I have a stress-induced heart attack at the wheel, will I be covered?
Come to think of it, maybe I should walk. I heard somewhere that walking could help manage my stress and soothe my feelings. I do happen to have a good pair of walking shoes, although I have not checked with my doctor to see if a walking program of this nature is advisable for me. At this point, I'm not sure who my doctor is, or if I have one.
Stay tuned.
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