#8 Postby Miss Mary » Tue Aug 10, 2004 7:21 am
Hey Dennis - I can relate to high insurance costs, either out of pocket expense that works towards our individual $1,000 deductible or $30 Rx copay, or $30 office visit copay. It's to the point where I ponder if I really need to see the doctor! Nina alone was on 3 acne meds from the Dermatologist (whom by the way she went to for wart treatment). Her acne kicked into high gear over a year ago and he began her on 3 prescriptions. Adding more as the previous one wasn't quite doing the job. She went to our Ped once and we mentioned all that she was on. Nurse said she had never heard of the specific antiobiotic she was on for acne. Each refill was $30. Couple that with Jim's Lipitor and Nina's inhaler, and we were spending almost $150 each month on meds! Then Nina got lazy and started forgetting her two oral acne meds, using the cream only. Voila - acne was still in control. When she saw the Derm I said can she just stay on the cream, explaining our high Rx copay. Sure $30 isn't that bad but for a family of 4, it adds up! He sighed and said sure.....I could tell other patients are in the same situation. Humana seems to balk at everything we have done. We recently drove thru Louisville on the way back from a trip and Laura saw their headquarters there. I've joked that that's where I need to go for procedures, since they're "in network". I had to spend 90 minutes on the phone with them one day determining where I can get my annual ct scan, in network. If I don't I'm stuck with a $1,000 (meeting my personal deductible). I was told to drive to Dayton, OH, there's a facility there in network. I said what? I'm not driving 60 minutes north for that!!! Another phone call was placed when I calmed down a few days later and that ins clerk told me, oh you can go to Pro Scans. Guess what? There's one 15 minutes from my home. That's the biggest change I've noticed with our reduced med ins, you have to make many phone calls to have procedures done in network. No more going to hospitals. If we do, it goes to that lovely word - deductible.
Sorry got off on a tangent there. Needless to say I haven't booked the ct yet. Not even sure if my colon doc wants one done there. But it will have to be done there, we can't afford to shell out $1000 for one!
Glad you're back BTW, wondered where you'd been to.
Mary
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