Insurance
Doctors and patients alike disdain dealing with insurance companies. I began watching my mom fight - and win against - insurance companies when I was a young child, and our fight continues on 2+ decades later. One of my doctors recently said to me, “dealing with insurance companies…prior authorizations in particular…are the bane of my existence, and makes me consider quitting medicine altogether.” Those of us living the chronic disease life know that taking care of our health can already be a full-time job. Adding in the need to address confusing and sometimes incorrect medical bills and slimy insurance company schemes makes our already busy lives even busier.
Medical billing and insurance company policies can be complex to understand and navigate, which often leads people to give up on advocating for themselves. This can result in patients missing out on reimbursements they are owed, overpaying, or even paying for services that weren’t rendered. Understanding how these systems work can help you to feel more empowered when you receive medical bills and EOBs (see below) and can even help you to keep more money in your pocket.
Click here to visit I AM THE BOTTOM LINE (created by yours truly) to learn how to fight back against your health insurer and navigate medical bills to get the care you need.
In the News: Insurance Companies’ Bad Acts
Former Cigna Executive, Wendell Potter, is on a mission to expose health insurance company’s insider (bad actor) strategies, and positively impact health care. Get the inside scoop from his newsletter here and read his books ”Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans” and “Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It.”
“Health Insurance Claim Denied? See What Insurers Said Behind the Scenes” - ProPublica, May 10, 2023
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