August 26, 2003
Pharmaceutical grade bullshit
I have to go to the drugstore now and then to pick up a prescription or a refill. Today, my doctor called in a revised prescription—the dosage went from two pills a day to three. So, if you're a math person and do the massive calculations, your mathematical wizardry will show you that it makes me run out of my prescription faster.
That's why I had the doctor call the pharmacy. They would then understand that I needed more drugs and they would pay for them.
But no. Despite the fact that I explained to the pharmacist, who is only doing her job but has pissed me off so many times before, about the mathematical intricacies, she could not fill my prescription using my health insurance.
So I paid my fifty dollars and some cents to get a month's worth of drugs. There are other drugs that would have run into one or two hundred dollars. I'm glad this is a cheaper one. Bastards. Health care blows.
The way things proceed from here is that I call my insurance company, explain what happened, send or fax (they don't usually accept faxes) my receipt for my drugs along with the form I need to fill out, and wait until it's convenient for them to pay me back.
Although I'm irritated about this, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that I'll have a human being on the phone. I plan to tell them about the multiple mistakes with prescription drugs. I'll tell them that the pharmacy they recommend using, the one I mail my prescriptions to, have given me a user name and password that has little to do with my name and no opportunity to change the super-secret code non-word that they sent (which, for your enjoyment and delight, is this: g689q22335). The very same pharmacy has a ridiculous automated phone system. I'll also mention that there were some doctor visits that they neglected to pay for and that their notification system is really confusing at times.
You know what? I'm much more angry than I thought I was. I'm really really angry, in fact. I ought to calm down before I go to bed. But I'll store it up in case I need it on the phone tomorrow.
Yes, oh yes indeedy.
And I have good insurance.
Posted by dotty at August 26, 2003 11:12 PM