So, while I have my insurance company on the phone I have to tackle an on going problem with diabetes: maintaining my medicine and medical supplies.
A little back story:
When I received my last shipment of supplies I noticed that the number of boxes of test strips looked smaller than usual. I should have immediately called the supply company and found out why there were less strips, but I didn't want to deal with the hassle that day. So, about two and a half months later, I'm running out of strips. I was fortunate enough to have another Type 1 friend (who happened to use the same strips as I do) be able to give me four extra boxes. I get on the train, head to Brooklyn, and pick up the supplies. Even though I was with a friend that day I still felt like I was doing a drug deal. A drug deal for supplies I needed to survive. I am so appreciative to have other Type 1 friends who understand what it's like to manage this disease and the insurance and supply companies.
On a previous phone call to the supply company, I discovered what happened to my remaining test strips. My insurance company must give authorization to release the number of strips I use per day. Most diabetics I know generally check between 8 and 12 times a day to maintain good health. Doctors recommend checking your blood sugar at least 4 times a day. My insurance company requires authorization for anyone checking more than 6 times a day.
So, back to the phone call with the insurance company:
I ask them if they have received a call or email from my supply company regarding authorization for test strips. I am informed they had and I should call back in about 5 days to hear the ruling. This is frustrating because neither company called to tell me that I required authorization for the supplies I needed, which come prescribed by my doctors. Without help from my fellow diabetics, I would have run out and would have been paying out of pocket for my needed supplies even though I have insurance.
I call back 5 days later. It's a lucky day. I get authorized and my supply company is going to send me my remaining test strips. A couple days later I receive my shipment in the mail. It's the test strips, but it's not the amount I was told to expect. Instead of the amount I am owed, it's my next three month supply. It's also still not the amount I'm supposed to get.
Time for another phone call, this time to the supply company:
I ask them what happened? They inform me that my insurance company will only cover a certain amount of test strips beyond 6 per day and that they sent me as much as they could. I ask the supply company rep if that's illegal? The rep doesn't really respond. I tell the rep that I was told by my doctors that the insurance companies have to send whatever amount of supplies that I am prescribed. Again the rep doesn't really reply, just leaving me hanging and infuriated.
When a patients supplies are not fully dispensed for any reason, why don't companies immediately follow up and inform their patients/customers? Every now and then I receive a phone call regarding complications with my supplies. But most of the time, when I encounter problems I have to call the companies and ask what happened or why I wasn't informed? The only answer I get is that there just must have been some mistake. Unfortunately this happens too frequently for me to believe that it's just a bunch of mistakes. Patient care and customer service in regards to people who have medical needs is unbelievably low in my opinion. Companies are making fortunes off of people's sickness and treating the sick like addicts.
It's a constant battle and most of it doesn't make sense. Why do chronically ill people require authorization for their supplies? Why is an insurance company allowed to say how many supplies a person needs to live and feel comfortable in their life? Why is an insurance company allowed to disagree with what doctors prescribe? Chronically ill people need these supplies to feel like they can maintain a sense of normal life. It shouldn't be harder to get the supplies to manage the disease than it is to manage the disease itself.
As a musician and for travelers, this raises a big question. If I am performing outside of the country for an extended period of time and in this time I am due for another shipment of supplies, how am I going to receive my needed supplies? Are they going to mail my supplies to wherever I am in the world? The mail in the US is tricky enough, but would I trust my life saving medical supplies to mail systems in countries I am not fully familiar with? What happens if the companies don't send me the correct amount or incorrect supplies? How am I supposed to effectively get in contact with them from outside of the US and fix the problem? They don't send supplies before your due date so you couldn't stock up before you leave. There are many professional touring musicians with Type 1 diabetes who I will have to get in contact with and learn from their experiences. I look forward to taking my music and other's music to new places in the world.
