Humana, the
health insurance company that spends millions of dollars in advertising
designed to scare Medicare recipients into fearing they will lose health care
benefits, is guilty of denying Medicare recipients the benefits they were
promised.
The threat
brandished by Humana to convince seniors to sign up with its Medicare Advantage
program is the classic claim that “government bureaucrats will determine who
gets the treatment and medications prescribed by the patient’s doctor.” In fact, once the patients have signed with
Humana, it is a network of corporate bureaucrats who allow or deny the
medications and treatments prescribed by physicians.
Case in
point:
Last July
Gloria was prescribed a new medication, “Victoza,” to enable her to maintain
blood glucose levels and to lose weight as a means toward more effective
treatment of type II diabetes. Her
Medicare Part D carrier, at the time United Health Care, required her to
undergo a trial with other, less expensive medication prior to approving the
prescription for Victoza. She did not
tolerate the substitute medication and it did not provide adequate control of
her blood glucose levels. After this was
documented, she was finally approved to receive Victoza. She used the drug successfully.
In an attempt
to reduce out of pocket medicine expenses, she signed with Human. She was promised by the agent who enrolled
her that her Victoza would be covered with no break in service.
Since February,
she has been trying to have her prescription renewed. Humana keeps denying it. She has had her doctor’s office appeal the denial
multiple times. Humana denies receiving
the appeals. She has been told by letter
from Humana that they tried three times to contact her by phone on a day when
both of us were here all day. Humana has
instructed her to call specified numbers, which she has called repeatedly for 6
days now with no return calls.
Last week she
was told that the medication was approved by a Humana employee who seemed
reluctant to tell her that it was approved.
Today she has spent most of four hours on the phone being shunted from
non-helpful desk to openly obfuscating desk.
Tell me, GOP
and teavangelists, why I should bear government workers denying benefits. The private sector seems quite capable of
doing it in order to increase corporate profits.
GOP health
plan – get sick and die quick
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