Fighting with Health Insurance

Does anyone else out there hate fighting with health insurance companies as much as I do? It seems like we switch companies immediately before any major medical event takes place, and then I have to make a zillion calls to prove that we did have prior coverage, and no, we don't still have coverage with another company. What a pain!

The year that I was pregnant with Zachary, Darren's company switched insurance in April, and I had to find a new OB, since my old one wasn't in the new company's network. I hated it at the time, but have come to love my doctor. I will miss her when I go back to seeing her once a year! Anyway, that July, his company switched to a benefits administrator, which meant yet another insurance change. If I wouldn't have been so far along in my pregnancy, it would have been great for us, because it would have cost us a whole lot less to have Zachary. Because I was so far along, we had to get on the lower coverage insurance, and then make numerous phone calls to prove coverage once the bills started rolling in.

The following summer, Darren's company went through a massive layoff, and I got on my school district's insurance. It was crappy coverage, but fairly easy to deal with. There were high copays, high costs of prescriptions, but no deductible. I knew they would cover everything without a fight, but I would still have to pay a portion of any of my claims.

Fast forward five years, and Darren gets a new job. That was this past May, and his new insurance is wonderful, and costs us next to nothing for premiums. I dropped my coverage, and went on Darren's. So far, Zach and I have both been to the dentist, and had to pay nothing, and this baby hasn't cost me anything so far.

This past week, the letters regarding my hospital stay in Lafayette began to roll in, and they are denying my claim, due to the fact that my gallstones are a possible pre-existing condition. After three phone calls today, I have a letter coming from the old company to prove that I did have insurance before, and the new company is going to look at the claim again. There's an hour of my life that I am never going to get back!