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Hi, curious… today I received a bill for co-pays for my first eight treatments. When I got authorization from New England Blue Cross, it did say something about office visits, but I was so depressed and my last round didn’t involve any co-pays. I called my insurance company and advised I can’t afford to pay $720.00 (no disrespect those of you paying out of pocket). I’m quite certain that if this didn’t fall under behavioral health it wouldn’t involve co-pays at all.
Have others with HMO coverage had to pay co-pays for each visit? If my provider doesn’t manage to work out something with the insurance company, I may have to stop treatment very soon. It’s kind of crappy as I can’t contact the insurance person at my treatment center directly and the care coordinator is away until next Wednesday. I feel like my money is flying out the window…
UGH.
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This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by
NeedMoreCowbell.
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This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by
NeedMore–I have a co-pay (my insurance is a ppo), but I was told about my out-of-pocket obligation before starting. Maybe your TMS provider would be willing to work out a payment plan? Have you investigated that avenue? Sooxie
Hi Sooxie, I was pretty upset yesterday when I learned that. Yes, they actually have to work out a payment plan as they’ve already been paid by my insurance. You can actually pay as little as $10/month to a medical bill and there’s nothing they can do about it. I’ll do my best, it was just a shock and I’m not dealing with adversity very well right now. My mood ranges from okay to completely disregulated. I’ve advised my TMS doc and he doesn’t seem concerned. I’ll continue to going, but the only improvement that seems to stay with with me regardless of my mood is my increased ability to concentrate and problem solve. Very strange.
How are you feeling?
Hi Sooxie and Needmore,
I had that same shock you all had.
They approved all the sessions and I had to pay up front.No one said anything about a $45.00 co pay for each session.
Trying to get the money back from my insurance company has been a nightmare.
It just pisses me off! They know you are depressed and it seems they take advantage of that and maybe you don’t have the will to fight.
How are you both feeling?Hi Grey, sorry I didn’t see your response before today. $45 per session? Yikes. I’m going to appeal my co-pays as I don’t believe I would have co-pays for medical treatments that don’t fall under the category of Office Visit. The new health care law included a parity provision that requires health insurance companies to treat mental health the same as what’s considered medical treatment and I believe these co-pays are in direct violation of it.
As I start to feel my feet under me in terms of advocating on behalf of myself, I’ll be able to put through a proper/assertive appeal. I’m not giving up this time!
Still, the fact that I can address this topic and feel a semblance of sanity is because of TMS. I’m still hitting dips, especially on the weekend where my time lacks structure. I’ve had these lost weekends and then feel guilty. I keep thinking – I feel better, so where is the motivation to get things done? Then I realize these are behavior patterns that I can address in therapy. Just because I feel better doesn’t equate to automatically changing behavior. That’s the hard part, but TMS has put me in the mind-set of being able to do the work. I guess that’s what they say about meds.
How are you this week?
Best,
NeedMoreCowBellNeedmore,
Glad you are feeling strong.That is a good sign and I am so happy for you.
I have my last treatment on Wednesday.I can so relate to your lost weekends as I find it difficult to leave the house.
A good therapist might help with that as you say. -
This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by
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