I thought the cavalry had arrived a little over a year ago when I turned into a "woman of a certain age" and was able to get group health insurance once again. Yes, yes I am very grateful and am not complaining but.........yes, there is a "but".
I have recently discovered that insurance coverage is not what it used to be when I was working and had coverage through my employer. With about nine years in-between being covered by my employer, then self-insured, to now, the industry has learned to play games with the consumer. While those of us covered under group health insurance have a greater safety net and the possibility of becoming "dropped" is almost nil, the insurers have discovered a number of sneaky methods to cut down on payments to providers and benefits to the insured, thereby thrusting more of the burden for payment back on to the insured.
One of the games played by insurance companies is to state that you have all kinds of great coverage by any or most providers of your choice, but oh-by-the-way, the billing company that your provider or provider's group uses............well, that billing company is not in your network, so "too bad". Another game I just discovered today is the game of telling you that your provider is in network, the procedure or test is covered but, after the fact, you find that the x-ray was sent to an outside radiologist and he or she is not in your network so therefore, the radiologist's fees (which are not insignificant) are not covered nor do the fees apply against your deductible. Part two of this same game is that "the reading of your x-ray could have been covered had you gone to a different address (same group practice just different location).
Yes, folks, the squeeze to the American health insurance customer is on and the insurance companies have a death grip on the dollars they are willing to pay out. No matter that you have paid premiums for years with few claims. I can envision the health insurance executives sitting around a big, mahogany table, rubbing their hands with delight as backlighting gives an unearthly aura about their personages, much like Dante's Inferno.
Ancora imparo
