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I lost my insurance last month due to Army BS (no need to get into it all). I can go on Ticare COBRA but they require quarterly payments and the first one is 2k. Not prepared to pay that much so I am trying to hold out and see when ours will be reinstated.

I had to go to Cleveland Clinic and get my nerve blocks and see Endo and Neurology to figure out my chronic cramping all over and kidney issues. I had about 18 viles of blood drawn. In the short term I need an iron infusion asap and my kidneys are >60 again so it is likely I now have kidney disease. My glucose is weird but they have to get me an iron infusion and retest since it is most likely anemia again.

So I got flagged by CC on day 3 that I was there for going through appointments with no insurance. I paid a deposit with my credit card and told the lady to just bill me. She was so nasty and rude with me and kept saying my bills were going to get high. Well..no crap. I know I am getting a fat bill. But when you need treatment you need treatment.

I have to get in for an infusion and have an EMG test and MRI to see if I have spinal damage that is causing metabolic issues. Of course that is all on hold now. I can't get assistance because I am not considered 'poor'. What do people do with no insurance and have a rare disease?

Hospitals that don't work on payment plans are really frustrating.
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Vanessa, if your insurance being dropped was an error, shouldn't the coverage be retroactive, once reinstated?

As to what do people do? They soon become poor!! This is why folks are hoping beyond hope that Obamacare does get more people covered without them having to become destitute. States that are participating will be expanding Medicaid to a larger group. There still will be some who fall through the cracks though... Frowner

Folks who have skated through life without a care in the world have no idea what can befall them.

Jan Smiler
Ah when they put my husband in his new unit we will get it back. He was forced into IRR due to moving and the Army messed up with transfering him. So he is basically unemployed for now until it is worked out. So when that happens Tricare cuts you off immediately. I actually checked their Cobra is 2,555 for 90 days of coverage. Infusions cost around 500 dollars so I am better off just paying for them.

CC did not offer me a payment plan and basically said the EMG and MRI wasn't happening after I paid a deposit to see my Gyno the day they started bitching at me about it. I was happy to pay a deposit on the entire bill to get the rest of everything done.

I guess I can hold out but we have no idea how long this will take. The Army is a lot of waiting and waiting.

I called my local hematologist to see if they can take payments for an infusion. They are a bit peeved at me too since that was the day I found out I had no insurance, and I actually had no idea I was dropped until they tried to run it when I was checking out.
vanessa pm me. I am connected with a "financial ombudsman" at CC after I got sick and tired of dealing with all of their billing problems and their completely incompetent financial people who you get on the phone when you call about billing and/or insurance issues or do not respond to any letter or appeal you write. After 8months of trying to sort of CC's mess, including receiving two very different bills each month, randomly changed account numbers, payment not being applied to my account(s) and so many other things... and with no result from CC I wrote a certified letter to Cosgrove and lo and behold five days later a competent and wonderful woman called and has been helping get my account squared away.

Also.. look online.. CC has huge bad stuff written about them in the plain dealer (local newspaper) They did a year long story on the incompetencies with their billing dept and how their financial dept and billing problems have caused people to have bad credit, etc.. FYI the person in charge of all of CC stuff in that area left or got fired end of last year.

Anyways.. I bet this woman who was put on my case by Cosgrove's office could help you. pm me and I will send you her contact info.
These things can be real nightmares. I suppose the staff in the billing department don't actually want to cause misery, but the whole system is so overly complex, it makes your head spin. I imagine there is a high turnover rate in those departments too, so a large percentage on the "learning curve." As to dealing with the government, I completely understand. I used to work for the VA...

Jan Smiler

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