Fun with Insurance
by admin on October 15, 2009
in autism spectrum disorder
I’ll admit: I was kind of whiny yesterday. On the upside, though, I spent the day making calls to get needed services and things for my kids.
One of the things I did was to sign up Zoe for speech therapy. The local hospital, which is very good, even provides transportation, so this was great news. They took my info and then I had to get a call back.
For the first time, I heard the words “pre-existing condition”. As a parent, that term sends chills down your spine. Odd, though, if she DIDN’T have autism, I wouldn’t need speech though, right?
It’s not as bad in this case. They will cover up to a certain amount only, for one year. This is fine because Zoe has secondary insurance (she gets a kind of medicaid for kids for having a disability), so they pick up the balance, which is small. Not only that, but the waiting list is 6-9 months long, so shortly after getting services, she could be off that “pre-existing” list.
I’m really glad-fortunate-blessed-lucky this all worked out, but can you say
WE NEED HEALTH CARE REFORM NOW????
I don’t see how your experience translates into a need for health care reform.
You got the services your daughter needs at a price point that seems reasonable.
It’s hard to infer much from the short description you gave, but consider this.
Since your daughter is on medicaid you’re already enrolled in “the public option” anyhow. And you see the result, a waiting list of 6 to 9 months for something that by rights should be available to you tomorrow. And it would be, if the price you paid reflected the pent-up demand. That is, at a higher price point more providers would enter the market and thus you’d get services sooner. The free market trumps government regulation every time.
Hi Chris thanks for weighing in! Just to correct you, the waiting has nothing to do with my insurance. I’d be on the same list if I had the top best insurance. It’s just what/how of this particular hospital and what it provides in speech therapy -best around, long list. What’s really unnerving is the 3 month wait for standard appointments like GYN and mammograms. Also, nothing to do with insurance.
FWIW, I don’t think, from all the reading I’ve done, that a public option is a magic bullet. I’m not clear at all on coop, but frankly, I haven’t seen anything from the right that really affects any change at all in terms of pricepoint on insurance.
Dealing with insurance companies just plain sucks!!! If I ruled the world things would be so much smooother!!;)
OK, Tori, you get my vote for ruling the world, LOL! Too much responsibility for me!!