Vital Information

I am frequenting lots of new doctors as we all try to figure out why I have been coughing for seven weeks and counting. This morning I called the office of a second lung specialist who is seeing me at the behest of a good friend (bless both of them). The person I was talking to had been told I was going to call and the doctor had already set up an appointment for me. So, she began to take down some vital information.

It goes something like this (in order):

Name
Social Security number
Date of birth
Medicare number
Secondary insurance number and how to contact them for benefits

The above are the most vital of the vital statistics. Not what’s going on, who referred me, how long have I been sick, etc. Key to everything is knowing what your insurance is and what it covers.

With all this, it’s a mystery what’s covered and by whom. None of these doctors seem to want money from me when I leave their offices (nor do the hospitals). I get one notice from Medicare and, sometime later, another one from my state insurance plan saying what they have paid to whom and for what. There are cryptic asterisk codes in the margin that are supposed to illuminate why certain charges are denied and/or the “discount” I receive (and am not liable for) from certain providers. On top of this, Medicare seems to have a calendar-year deductible; my other plan’s deductible starts on July 1 of each year. And when all the insurance dust settles, I get a summary bill from the doctor telling me what I still owe.

I’m getting a headache.