[Madame_X]

#1065822

If something happens to me in the meanwhile before these cretins get this mess straightened out, I will hold them LIABLE for it.

"We can try to get you coverage…" This from the company owner.

"’TRY’????" I said. "No, this is a given. YOu people screwed this up and I want this rectified." To this her ass said ZERO.

And now it’s wait in the lurch and call them again and call Oxford and whatever have you and who KNOWS how damn long this will take????

I think it’s past due for me to lawyer up — and tomorrow I’m filing a complaint with New Jersey Insurance and Banking. The guy there knows what the history is with former company since I pretty much had an open dialog last summer with him when I was trying to get money from former company that was rightfully mine back in hand.

[Ski]

#1065823

I try not to get political here, but this is exactly why we’ve needed to have SOME kind of standard of healthcare for ALL U.S. citizens at ALL times ~ everybody passes the buck to each other and scratches their head until YOU are out of pocket and then they say well, so what? It didn’t come out of THEIR pocket, that’s the only goal they have. I am so sorry you’re having to fight for this, it’s ludicrous. I’ve seen both of my siblings fight this fight since they were laid off, and it almost seems as if they are entrapped into situations where they might slip up and lose coverage. You have to be right on top of your game to follow the rules (they do not make it obvious), and (as you’ve found) sometimes they "ignore" the rules so you lose coverage anyway, then there’s no recourse. It is AWFUL.

HOWEVER, I must say that you need to pony up the $80 and find out where your levels stand. Keep the receipt and include it in whatever your lawyer needs to fight for your insurance, but do not let their timewasting keep you from getting care. Even if it means you borrow from family/friends, or charge it on a credit card, your health is priceless. [In addition to that, you won’t be able to blame any consequences on them if you know what’s going on, have a method for getting treatment – even if you must pay for it – and don’t take advantage of it. You must take care of yourself the best way you know how, and they can’t be held legally responsible because they wouldn’t pay.]

If you are hyperthyroid again, you can go back on ATDs, since they worked for you once before, so that you don’t endanger your health. I just saw a Wal-Mart commercial advertising 90-day supplies of generic meds for $10, so presumably that should include generic methimazole, IF you need it.

I wish you all the luck in the world on this one, you are definitely fighting against the titans.

[Madame_X]

#1065824

I knew you would say that.

I’ll be back tomorrow for the levels, even if I pay out of pocket.

This is just bad…they have always been like this:

I had to fight them for the Cobra offer letter. I got none from them; the law is they need to send it/give it to you within 60 days of termination. They claimed "we didn’t know we had to do this."

I was down there a day after I got discharged from the hospital (where I found out I had Graves) and I had to fight them to get that letter.

Then it was fight them for the refund that was due me for the first 2 months of Cobra subsidy. I got the same song and dance: "We don’t know anything about this…" I got the same preamble every time I contacted them for my check — and that was several times. 2 months’ batle on my part went by; I finally sent them a certified mail letter telling them that if they did not ante up, I’d take my case to the Dept of Labor, the IRS, the state dept of banking and insurance, my atty and several other causes. I finally got a check after that letter arrived.

They are dreadful. I don’t know if somebody can really be that stupid or if this is just another little game they are playing or what: not necessary and not needed and total BS. Push came to shove here and I’m way tired of having to fight for something that should be a given.

[teacherhelper]

#1065825

It’s too bad you have to go through all of this. STRESS is not good for Graves and they are putting you through way more stress than any one person should have to go through. I hope you can get help, answers and whatever else you need. Hang in there. *hugs*

[Madame_X]

#1018583

And actually, I DID.

Does it never end with my former workplace?! Honest to GOD — does it never end??

I went to the lab this afternoon for bloodwork. I’m feeling lousy and my Graves’ symptoms apparently are returning; I am in remission but the leg weakness and muscle soreness — that all kicked in right before my Graves first surfaced — has returned. So it is essential that I get this bloodwork done.

I’m in the administrative office signing up for the bloodwork and the woman says to me, "your coverage is over as of March 31." I said "can’t be true."

Then she tells me if I want the bloodwork, it’s $80. I told her I’d try calling my former workplace since all Oxford would say is "benefits terminated."

I tried calling former workplace. The benefits admin is out of the country (in China and he speaks not much English) and the office manager was on extended late lunch; this was at 2:15 pm.

I figured I’d call the health insurance carrier in the meanwhile to find out what was what to see if they could give me info and this way I wouldn’t have to speak to former company….

I spent an hour on the phone with the insurance carrier…

And according to them, I’m not eligible for coverage because according to my records, my coverage with them ended October 1, 2008.

I went on to explain that wasn’t true and not possible; my employer had me covered with the group until November 30 of that year and on December 1, I picked up New Jersey Continuation (same as Cobra but for companies that are under a certain number of employees).

I was laid off in August of that year; when I was leaving, part of her agreement was to cover me for health insurance until November 30 and that didn’t happen, either — another long story. I finally had that rectified but not without any fuss and not without any flak and static from my workplace. (and they also insisted they had no idea I was to get a Cobra offer letter….not true….see where it’s at with them?)

Insurance carrier said, "That’s all the paperwork we have so speak to your former employer. The last date of coverage we have is October 1, 2008." THey more or less said it was out of their hands until I got more info from them.

I spent an hour on the phone with them until I was able to get this info from the health insurance carrier.

I hung up and figured I’d pay former employer a visit since they’re about 20 minutes down the block from the hospital where I had my bloodwork done…

Don’t ask what that visit was like. They INSISTED from now until next Superbowl Sunday that this is not their fault and they submitted the paperwork they needed to submit; they practically called me a liar.

My patience wore thin about 5 seconds into this little coffee break — it was me, office manager and company owner. Company owner insisted "gee I don’t speak enough English to underdand what is happening…" This is her usual game and cop out when she doesn’t want to get involved.

Then Office Manager tells me again "Wait until Thursday; Mr L comes back from China; I don’t handle this issue…" RiGHT — this is essential bloodwork and my symptoms are returning and now I wait in limbo until HE gets back or whenever they get this mess straightened out on their end with Oxford???

This is where I blew sky high and I didn’t care; I let them have it. These people have been a continual problem: when I was laid off, they did NOT bother to send a Cobra offer letter, as I said. That should have, by rights, been ready when I was laid off that day…I got sick at the end of October of that year and 2 days after being discharged from hospital I had to go and personally fight the no Cobra letter issue out with them — I was hospitalized and had no coverage.

By law you are to be given the offer letter within 60 days of your leaving the company: it did not happen until I got up their azzes about it. Only then did they comply. And they insisted they had NO idea that I had to be sent that letter. Bull.

So i do what now — wait, again, FOR THEM to get this mess that, IMO, THEY made straightened out?! They’re telling me "Wait until Thursday; Mr. L the benefits admin gets back from China." Yeah, well I and my thyroid haven’t got until Thursday.

Somebody in there did NOT submit the right paperwork to Oxford and they’re insisting this is not their fault that they sent what they needed to send blah blah.

And in the interim?

No bloodwork.

Part II to follow

[Madame_X]

#1065826

Know what dumb ExBoss said when I was there and I said stress is no good for my condition?

"Oh we all under some kind of stress…." I sure set her right on that one.

Everytime I have gone over there for something insurance related it’s liike "Oh, what’s happening?" They go completely amnesiatic — nobody can be this stupid. This is why I think this is all a little game they’re playing over there. There’s no paper trail no nothing whenever I contact them? It’s only common sense to keep a paper trail, just to cover your own glutes, you know?

The coverage ended, I think, because Cobra extension ended at the end of March — yeah, but I thought that was extended until December. This is why I’m going to call that guy from Banking and Insurance; he will know for sure.

[Author]

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