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'don't buy anthem products, period, for any reason"
What's crazy is that Anthem is genuinely one of the least-bad insurance giants in America right now. The bar is incredibly fucking low.
Every healthcare system has issues, but universal healthcare beats the pants off the US system any day of the week.
You can now understand why the UK is holding on the its NHS with white knuckles despite the Conservative push to dissolve it by stealth.
I suffer from sleep apnea and I too had an issue with my CPAP machine. The NHS fixed it within a week.
I can’t imagine spending 2 years chasing different health providers to sort a simple repair.
It’s surprising to me that not only in my home country is the process of having a CPAP machine covered by insurance a long and complicated one. In my case, it took almost 12 months to receive my first CPAP machine, which then turned out to be refurbished. Initially, I had to visit a doctor, who had an available appointment in two months. He then referred me to a sleep laboratory (another two-month wait). After my sle…
After an initial round of bullshit with the local government insurance agency to get my CPAP including the multiple “two month wait for x”, then a 6 month wait to get the machine, and subsequently struggling to get it serviced, I bought my own for a few hundred EUR and been doing that for nearly 10 years now.
It’s surprising to me that not only in my home country is the process of having a CPAP machine covered by insurance a long and complicated one. In my case, it took almost 12 months to receive my first CPAP machine, which then turned out to be refurbished. Initially, I had to visit a doctor, who had an available appointment in two months. He then referred me to a sleep laboratory (another two-month wait). After my sle…
Sounds like you are in the US.
The other thing to remember about CPAP is that it's not just the machine, you have to get replaceable supplies - masks, air tubes, etc every so often.
While not nearly as bad as linked blog entry, my worst situation was with Kaiser in the SF Bay Area. I had gotten a CPAP through them and then a few years later moved to a different part of the Bay. I set up a new doc also with Kaiser, but the records don't easily transfer and since it's a different Kaiser respiratory team, I had to (of course) do another sleep study AND go through a CPAP orientation on how to use a CPAP despite me already owning and using a CPAP and just needing a new mask, etc.
I doubt he has a list if his doctors that his insurance companies or doctors would agree with.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
After an initial round of bullshit with the local government insurance agency to get my CPAP including the multiple “two month wait for x”, then a 6 month wait to get the machine, and subsequently struggling to get it serviced, I bought my own for a few hundred EUR and been doing that for nearly 10 years now.
At least people who don't have your means have another option.
Tell me why this is not fraud. Tell me why insurance company employees are not facing prison time.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What's crazy is that Anthem is genuinely one of the least-bad insurance giants in America right now. The bar is incredibly fucking low.
I'll take the issues with Medicare (Australia) and the NHS (UK), both of which I have dealings with, over US healthcare problems any day of the week. Every healthcare system has issues, but universal healthcare beats the pants off the US system any day of the week.
On top of your state's DOI, there are a few agencies that can (typically) be used to bring insurance and other companies more swiftly into compliance with the laws they're meant to proactively follow:
* Many state AGs are responsive to well-documented problems and will send a warning on official letterhead.
* This won't work for insurance, but the CFPB[1] has a relatively smooth complaint process for financial issues, and (anecdotally) generally produces a rapid outcome.