INSURANCE WOES

I have been on the phone for over two hours.  Making appointments for Yudith for a Pediatric Orthopedics, which required me to call Tricare, then several doctors, then her PCP, once I found a Dr that could see her, to get a referral.


Ok.  Done. 


Now,I have called Becky's insurance about a Pediatric Ophthamologist, to be told I have to go through a separate insurance.  So I call them, am on hold for several minutes, then to be told I have to call her primary insurance back because they don't cover ophthamology, only optometry.  Oooookay.


I call the primary insurance back, again.  Explain the whole situation to a young man that is, apparently, in a hurry to get to lunch because he is speeding through the preliminary questions.  After he interrupts me for the third time I take a deep, audible breath.  And then I ask him if he could please listen to what I'm saying instead of ignoring me then proceeding to ask the same things I just explained to him.  He stutters that he IS listening.  Yeah, right.  So were my kids when I asked them to clean their bathroom last night, and HEY! I had to ask again this morning. 


"Let's try this again, Son.  I need you to focus on me.  I need a pediatric ophthamologist for my 7 year old Downs Syndrome daughter, who cannot speak.  Which is why an optometrist can not see her, she needs an ophthamologist with all the special machinery to determine how her sight is, to give her a script for new glasses.  I called you guys earlier and you asked me to call the vision plan, they said they don't cover opthamalogy, only optometry.  I need you to give me the name of an ophthalmologist in the area to see her." 


His brilliant response, "Why?  Does she need glasses or surgery?  I can give you the phone number to the vision plan.  They can set her up with a vision exam."


I.  AM.  GOING.  TO.  PRISON. 


If I could have murdered him over the line, I would have strangled him right then and there.  At this point I don't know what else to say to him, because there is nothing I can say to make things more clear to this boy. 


"Just give me the phone number to any ophthamologist in the area, and you can go have lunch, ok?!"   He finally gives me the info I need.  Now, I make the calls to the doctor offices.  NOT A SINGLE ONE IS A PEDIATRIC OPHTHAMOLOGIST.  REALLY?!?! 


Back to square one... 


You know, I don't expect a miracle here, I just want an intelligent person, that can listen to what I'm saying, show me the respect I show them, give me the information that I need, and I will be on my way.  I just want to get my baby new glasses....