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United Healthcare/Medco – Absolutely The Suck

I cannot even begin to describe how angry I am at our new insurance company. First, they won’t honor existing prescriptions, they all have to be rewritten. So…fine, I get my doctor to rewrite my scrips.

Then they tell me I have to do mail order. Fine.

Then they say the prescriptions won’t be honored because I didn’t get prior authorization, and thus I have to start the whole process over again. In the meantime, my prescription is going to run out, and one of them…if you stop taking it suddenly, is known to cause seizures and death…so, that’s nice.

Hurray for American health care, no?

  1. grendel1031
    November 15th, 2007 at 13:03 | #1

    All I can say is that it’s a damn good thing Hilary’s health care plan didn’t get passed. Can you imagine living in a country where everybody had health insurance?

  2. bookpixie
    November 15th, 2007 at 13:17 | #2

    ugh. That is definatley the suck. :-(

    gotta call you later this afternoon about Saturday….right now I’ve been requested by the eldest to go play at the golden arches, sigh. Oh well, french fries are always yummy, lol.

  3. wyshadara
    November 15th, 2007 at 13:29 | #3

    Um…talk to HR person responsible for your Healthplan. I don’t think that’s legal. I mean if it’s just something they don’t cover then usually a sub is offered, but they can’t deny based on pre-existing condition/ pre-auth requirement for existing stuff that you were on when you took on the ins as long as you’ve had like 18 mos of continuous coverage beforehand. I think it’s covered under something like COBRA.

  4. spiderfarmer
    November 15th, 2007 at 14:25 | #4

    Gods forbid we have a universal heathcare system that makes sense. That would be ridiculous. And communist. And all that bad stuff, there. ;)

  5. spiderfarmer
    November 15th, 2007 at 14:31 | #5

    No HR person, really. Tiny company. The problem is that they insist on the generic, but I react very badly to the generic, and studies have proven that the generic *isn’t* the same thing, and releases significantly differently than the brand. Thousands of people have filed complaints about the generic and the FDA is now investigating.

    So, even though I jumped through their hoops, and got a new scrip that’s a “dispense as written”, the insurance is now saying that they’ll refuse to fill the scrip without prior authorization.

    So, they want me to get prior auth, then I have to get a new scrip again, then they might fill it.

    I’m thinking Canadian pharmacies may be my only option at this point.

  6. spiderfarmer
    November 15th, 2007 at 14:32 | #6

    Cool deal. :)

  7. wyshadara
    November 15th, 2007 at 14:35 | #7

    We went through something likethis w/ my g’mother’s meds way back. And a pacemaker to boot, come to think of it. It took like 7 appeals from the Dr to get them through which requires:

    1- A Doc willing to do so

    and 2- you to have enough meds stashed to keep from running out.

    Suckage.

    sorry :(

  8. gorzo
    November 15th, 2007 at 18:37 | #8

    My employer uses UHC, and while so far they’ve been okay, I’ll keep an eye out for shenanigans on their part in the future. Not that I expect amything less from an insurer, mind you.

    Here’s to you getting your mess straightened out. Don’t rule out bomb threats. Blame them on the withdrawal.

  9. spiderfarmer
    November 15th, 2007 at 21:35 | #9

    Heh, as I was driving to Home Despot to get a part to finish fixing my sink, and I was still seething and one of the thoughts I had was: “They should be glad I don’t have a missle launcher that can reach Bangalore, I tell you what. And there’s not a jury in the land that would convict me. I’ve got a free ride on the “crazy drug” express.” ;)

  10. daphnis
    November 15th, 2007 at 23:42 | #10

    I’ve had fair success with Canadian meds through CANADA Rx, and the gummint so far ain’t confisticated none of my essential imports. They’re not _cheap_, but a hell of a lot cheaper than through Walgreens or WallyWorld, etcetera, and bless their little bodies, they don’t jerk patients around, even non-Canadian ones. Of course, the ones I import are paid for on THE CARD, but it’s virtually painless at the moment of commission.

    Huggles for the frustration. . . .

  11. spiderfarmer
    November 16th, 2007 at 09:20 | #11

    Groovy! Thanks. :)

  12. Anonymous
    September 11th, 2008 at 17:26 | #12

    They are really suck, suck! How come American people let them do this. I can’t find other word more the thief.They ae thief.

  13. Kanlayane
    September 11th, 2008 at 17:26 | #13

    They are really suck, suck! How come American people let them do this. I can’t find other word more the thief.They ae thief.

  14. Anonymous
    January 6th, 2009 at 19:59 | #14

    Absolutely a scam. I jumped through all there hoops last month to get prior authorization supposedly good for a year. This month denied! After 4 calls with Medco saying I was approved and 4 trips to pharmacy, they finally tell me there is a new guideline and I have to get new prior authorizations. Medco is just an arms length company set-up for UHC to completely harrass and abuse its customers and not have to hear any of it.
    BTW, the new guideline is for 18 pills every 180 days when my doctor prescribes 1/day.
    I may go to Canadian pharmacy. But, even if I do, I will make Medco spend days listening to me rant and rave. Not a good solution. But, only one I can see that makes this harrasment not profitable and at least somewhat as painful for somebody in on this absolute ridiculous approach to harrasing you customers into submission.

  15. DeAnne
    January 7th, 2009 at 09:53 | #15

    Yeah, they are absolutely the worst insurance company I’ve ever had to deal with.

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