Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Minnesota

3 years ago I had frozen shoulder in my left arm non dominant. Painful beyond belief. Now I have it in my right shoulder and it’s double the pain because it’s my dominant side. Previously dicoflonex gel took the edge off so I asked for it again. I had HP last time and had no problems they didn’t require a prior auth. BCBS does apparently because it’s part of their step therapy program. My MD submitted the PA and BCBS denied it. When I asked why they said because I had not been trying oral nsaids. Seriously? Really? You know this how? Because nobody asked me. For the love of my sanity I wanted to go off the deep end but I said funny I have a bottle of ibuprofen and Aleve sitting right next to me. Had the crap worked I wouldn’t ask for the topical gel. It’s 70.00 a tube out of pocket this condition can last up to 2 years. MdD resubmitted with notes letting them know I have been taking orals. Still denied. Lord hold me back. They won’t pay for this gel but would rather have me go I and have a surgical procedure done? Really? BCBS is like Medicare too big for their britches and a bully corporation. I can’t stand having them as my insurance carrier nor can I stand having to deal with them at work.

I called my insurance customer service line today ahead of getting a couple of travel vaccines. I was told the Walgreens near my home was in my network and I could go there to get a Hepatitis a vaccine and it would be completely covered 100%, I wouldn't have to pay a copay. I was on the phone with my insurance company for a full half hour to get this info, they had to research it. I went to the Walgreens after work, waited in line for an entire hour, only to find out when the vaccine was ready that it was not in fact covered and I was going to be charged $101.02. I called my insurance again from the office where i was about to get the shot, asking why I had been assured earlier this was 100% covered. They told me this shot would be covered at a Walgreens minute clinic but not a pharmacy. The pharmacist told me there actually are no Walgreens minute clinics in the state of Minnesota. All the customer service agent could tell me was that they could see I had called earlier but the person I spoke to "didn't take very good notes" so their record didn't say what I had called about, but suggested I go to a different clinic to get this vaccine. Great! Can't wait to spend another half hour having BCBS research where I can go to get this vaccine, drive someplace else and then spend another hour waiting in line, and then it would still be a crap shoot because BCBS is clearly full of it. Too bad I can't get payed to do this, I could quit my job and make a living off of it. My other alternative the agent suggested was to dispute the charge later because I had been told it was covered. Sounds great! Can just picture how awesome it would be to spend more hours on the phone advocating for myself with the liars who led me on in the first place and don't know their you know what from *** in the ground! I had already wasted an hour and a half of my life at this point so I just got the damn vaccine and payed for it out of pocket. I am so frustrated that I did my due diligence to make sure this would be covered ahead of time, only to be led on and screwed in the end. I hate Blue Cross as much as any other insurance company out there because they all pull the same tricks. It's a racket, an industry that profits off those of us who are too busy to spend our whole lives navigating a broken bureaucratic mess just to use the service we pay dearly for in the first place. Shame on you BCBS! Get your act together!

At least the one I didn't get the pleasure of dealing with didnt. I am a provider and called with what should have been a fairly simple issue to deal with. The representative I dealt with was foreign and spoke very well actually. But, he had a difficult time understanding what I was asking. I was on the phone an hour while he "researched" what should have been a simple issue. I asked 4 times to speak with a Supervisor! The first time he ignored me, the last 3 he put me on hold, I presume to get his supervisor. Each time he came back more flustered than before! If you are going to hire foreigners, then the least you could do is have a supervisor with enough of a back bone to get on the phone and deal with a providers office to sort out what the issue is, on behalf of YOUR customer! This call should have taken 10 minutes to figure out tops! I am not supporting this with anything due to the nature of the complaint and the fact that I am Hippa compliant!

We have been trying for two years or more to get my brother into intensive treatment and counseling to deal with his alcohol and drug abuse issues, and to get counseling to reach the underlying issues driving those behaviors. He finally got to the point where he decided to pursue treatment because he feels his life is down the toilet. In spite of a strong recommendation from a Ramsey County CD assessment specialist that he go into residential treatment to ensure that he gets the full range of help needed, BCBS denied him because in the opinion of their bean-counters, residential treatment is not "medically necessary." Who in the *** do they think they are to decide what is "medically necessary?" These health insurance companies are nothing more than robbers. This is why we need single payer health care--to put bastards like BCBS out of business. Appeal? You can count on it, Blue Cross.