HIT by BCBS

[HUNT]

I have been listening to the medical insurance woes all year on NPR and never though we would be hit. We were just smacked in the balls last week!

We have BCBS PPO through my company and we were denied 5 days before my wife's partial jaw replacement surgery tomorrow morning. Why? It's a preexisting condition. She had join replacement in her jaw 3 years ago and the arthritis in her jaw has ruined the new joints to the point of a total jaw joint replacement. She has been in horrible pain for about 3 months now. We submitted our claim 2 months ago.

Surgery total cost: $33,000 after a 30% discount by the hospital for not having insurance and they require at least a 40% up front payment upon admission to the hospital.

Just put my car up for a secure loan. Good times!

Needed to vent and don't want to do it at home, thanks.

[HUNT]

Just pulled the brisket of the smoker. Things are already looking better.

It's my wife's last meal request since she will be wired shut for 6 weeks and won't be able to chew solids for another month after that, ugh! Poor girl.

[farleypig]

oh god - i am so sorry to hear all this. not only does your wife have to endure pain she shouldn't have to, but deal with the crappiest health care company and probably pay tons to not feel pain anymore.
bcbs is shit, i have realized. my daughter and i got on it when i stopped working to take care of her and it was the only affordable option i had. finding out that $500/month pretty much gets you nothing but a plastic card and a constant influx of letters demanding to know if a third party was involved in the making of an boil on your baby's ass.
i hope that all goes well with your wife's surgery and that this bill gets approved so that maybe she has another option to be truly healthy (which is a right) and at the same time stick it to those bcbs bastards.

[HUNT]

Thanks, sorry to hear you went through so much.

I tried to resubmit with a surgeons note, but they denied any resubmits until after the procedure. Stating that if the denial was somehow reversed they would reimburse me the 40% upfront fee I am having to pay.

My BCBS rep told me not to expect it though. She and I have become friends over the past year since I have had so many family emergencies this year.

I used BCBS for our babies birth and my wife's emergency c-section and magnesium treatment do to extremely high blood pressure from the birth.

For our daughters open heart surgery at 3 months old and for my colon surgery a few weeks back.

They have always hit us with uncovered bills. So my out-of-pocket max is a joke. I have gone through my rep, the hospitals accounting dept. and had a lawyer from my company look at our bills. They say that they got me for everything they billed for.

Thanks for the reply. It's just another life thing to get through. We will make it.

[HUNT]

Just got home from the hospital. The wife is on Hydromorphone due to the extreme pain from detaching the muscle and the sawing of her jaw joint off.

Here is a cool picture though. 3 weeks of liquids and another 2 of soft serve.

[dennyschmickle]

Holy crap.

[phoondaddy]

Holy crap.

[MrBlonde7]

Dnny, post that face you always make. The "holy crap" face.

That's my feeling on seeing that picture.

[Zach Hobbs]

man. shit like this makes me feel extremebly lucky. Good luck hunt.

im investing in straws.

[HUNT]

Thanks. Claim still denied, but at least her migraines and ear aches should be gone.