You have got to be kidding me!

This is purely a "venting" post. I am so pissed off right now!

Although we are one of the "lucky" ones that have infertility coverage, apparenlty Bl.ue Cr.oss B.lue Shi.eld has a bunch of mentally challenged morons running their claim departments. I swear these people are the dumbest people on the planet!

Because we don't have a participating andrology lab within 100 miles of our home, we were given in in-for-out approval to do 10 IUIs through 12/31/08. This gives us permission to use an out-of-network provider, and they are supposed to reimburse us at the in-network amounts. It is supposed to take 6 weeks from the time you send in the claim to recieve a check. I'm sure you can see where this is going...

For our IUI that we did in June, it took them 3 months to process the claim. The had a different reason everytime I called as to why they denied it 3 times. "The in-for-out is in your name, and the reciepts are listed under your husband, even though your name is listed in the corner; under 'patient', it shows your husband..." (Their medical management team that approved the IFO told me that they have to put infertility IFO's in the females name always, but that it automatically covers the cost of the entire procedure, male and female portions) "You have to have seperate reciepts for the IUI, and for the sperm preparation" (Medical managements says it doesn't matter, and that it is all one procedure. Can't have up without down). Finally after 3 months, and countless phone calls and appeals, I got my check.

Well, when we did our 3rd IUI on Sept. 29, I sent in 2 reciepts just in case along with a letter explaining what happened with the previous claim and referencing the number so that they had an example of sorts, and also gave them my in-for-out number. I gave them all the information that the form requested, along with every little thing shy of my genetic sequences. Apparently, that's required too.

I sent the information to the address listed on the form, who then sent it to the local address (which is NOT our insurance, we have Empire BC.BS, they sent it to Regence BC.BS) so I recieved the ENTIRE package back. THE ORIGINALS!!! They said that I had an invalid ID number listed (although I took it directly from their website) and had to send it back in. Of course its because they SENT IT TO THE WRONG DAMN INSURANCE!!!!

AAAAAAHHHH! I am sooooo pissed off right now! I could joyously strangle the next dim-witted claims representative I have to talk to... of course they are closed tonight! Lucky for me, I'm great at holding a grudge and I'll have plenty of penned-up hostility waiting for them at 7 AM sharp.

The silver lining in all this? Well, that would be the fact that the pissed off adrenaline that is flowing through my body is a GREAT pain killer. I haven't felt any pain in my foot (a first all day) since I got the mail.

I'll post more about my surgery later, but for now... I'm going to go be pissed.