AHHHHH Insurance

Figuring out health insurance can be so maddening. It's also sort of debilitating. Just the thought of making several phone calls, listening to menu options to know what keys to press, talking on the phone for hours...it's exhausting.

Since I got my promotion and switched to a non-union job, I've had to do so much more work to figure out how my insurance works. I've had to make a ton of calls to understand claims and bills and deductibles. Not fun at ALL. I've been told contradicting things, I've been told to call one number only to have them tell me to call the other number back....and sometimes it's just too much for me to handle mentally and emotionally. That my sound like I'm being sensitive, but when you're already dealing with a chronic illness 24/7 AND you have to fight for your healthcare needs, it can easily push one over the edge.

Originally I was told my pump supplies are labeled as "hardware" and wouldn't be applied to my deductible. But, but...my test strips, lancets and insulin are covered through the pharmacy and applied to the deductible, so why not my pump supplies? Well, my pump supplies are considered MEDICAL, and shouldn't be billed to my pharmacy. Fine, so, the company I get everything from now has to bill 2 different insurance companies. At first I was so upset because my claim showed that my supplies weren't being applied to my deductible...NOT FAIR. If I was taking shots, everything (including the syringes) would be covered by my pharmacy and applied to the deductible. So what you're telling me is because I CHOOSE to be on the pump, I have to pay more because the supplies that go along with the pump are not covered?! Needless to say, I was very confused. I THINK I got it straightened out this morning (after an hour and a half and several phone calls). Nope, just kidding...had to make yet another phone call just now to understand if anything diabetic related was covered before my deductible was paid. Now I understand that it's not...must pay deductible first. Thank you to the man on the phone who explained this to me and also told me that diabetes is an ongoing medical condition with serious consequences...did he really need to add that last part?! Excuse me sir, do YOU have diabetes? Are you close to someone who has it? I didn't choose to become a type 1 mofo, so please shut your mouth or choose your words carefully.

For now, I can set my $518 bill aside while the company sorts out their billing issues.