Insurance Insanity
Wed, 04/23/2008 - 20:44 | rlp
More insurance insanity. I don’t know if anyone is interested in what I’m writing. It’s all I can think about today. Maybe it’s a good case study. Our insurance situation is so complex that I can’t explain it fully here. The short version is that my wife no longer has a job, so we’ve been using the COBRA law to keep our health insurance with Humana, the insurance company used by her former employer. The COBRA law says that you must be allowed to keep your insurance for 18 months after you leave a job or lose a job.
At one point it seemed that I was going to have to leave Humana and lose my mental health benefits. That’s when I told you that I was trying to figure out how to buy Wellbutrin, the drug I take for depression, online.
This is one of the hard things about trying to figure out insurance. Things change all the time. Jeanene had to break away from our family plan because she needed some yearly examinations. We were worried that if the doctors found anything, she wouldn’t be able to get insurance later, when we have to leave Humana. Technically that’s true for all of us. However, my middle daughter has no other option but to remain with Humana until that coverage runs out. We’ve decided it makes better sense for me to stay on that plan with her and the other two girls. So I’ll have mental health benefits for another year or so. That means I can buy Wellbutrin with a reasonable co-payment.
Now there has been a colossal SNAFU with our insurance company. When Jeanene left Humana in March, they mistakenly cancelled the policy for our entire family. No one told us. We got no cancellation notice. I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription two weeks ago and was told that my insurance had been cancelled. I knew a mistake had been made because we’ve never been late with a payment.
As I continue with this story, keep that in mind. We’ve paid these people. They have our money.
You would think this would be a simple matter to fix. I would call Humana and the Humana person would say, “I’m sorry Mr. Atkinson. You’ve paid us. Let me update the computer...done. You’re covered again.”
Only this is the world of insurance in the United States. Even if you pay them, nothing is easy or simple.
You see, with COBRA there is often a third-party involved. In our case, a company called Conexis collects our insurance payment, then notifies Humana that we have paid. This is because most employers don’t want to handle the insurance paperwork for people who no longer work for them. I certainly don’t blame them for that.
In theory, Conexis’ job seems easy enough. We pay them our health insurance premium online. They notify Humana that we have paid and our insurance continues.
Apparently this transaction isn’t so simple.
The first thing we did when we heard our insurance was cancelled was to call Humana. The person we spoke with couldn’t explain anything. She simply said that our insurance had been cancelled back in March. (We've deduced that all of this happened when Jeanene left our family insurance. Humana has never been clear about that.)
“But we’ve been paying all along. We paid for March and April.”
“Well, then Conexis hasn’t been notifying us of those payments. We have no record of them.”
Ah, so it’s the fault of Conexis. We called them with what seemed like a reasonable question. “Why have you been taking our online payments and not notifying Humana to that effect?” They didn’t dispute that we had paid. They said, “But we HAVE been notifying Humana. Humana does this all the time. We notify them, but they don’t update their system. Then your insurance gets cancelled.”
Okay, so it’s Humana’s fault. We called them back.
“No no no,” Humana said. “We have no record that Conexis has contacted us. Conexis does this all the time. You need to contact Conexis and demand that they do an emergency notification update. They will email us a record of your payment, and your insurance will be re-instated in 72 hours.
“72 hours? All of this is done by computer and email but it will take you 72 hours?”
“Sorry,” the Humana person said. “That’s the way the system works.”
So we called Conexis, angry now. They denied that the problem was on their end. “We’ve sent them the update,” they said.
“Okay fine, whatever. Will you just send it again?” They agreed. The Conexis rep said, “You know it will take Humana about 72 hours to get this updated. There’s nothing we can do about that.”
“Yeah, so we heard.”
Four days later I called the pharmacy, hoping to be able to pick up my prescription. I was informed that Humana was still denying that we we had insurance with them. By this time I had run out of Wellbutrin.
We called Conexis once again.
“Well, we notified Humana,” they said defensively, You know it sometimes takes up to 72 hours for the system to update.”
“Yes, so we’ve been told. But it’s been four days. Are you sure you notified them?”
“Absolutely. They’ve been notified of your payment. It’s their fault.”
We called Humana. They denied getting any notification from Conexis. “Call them back and ask them if they sent us an edi form by email. That’s what they’re supposed to send us. Now keep in mind that when we finally do get it, it will be...”
“We know. 72 hours.”
Okay, I think that’s probably enough. You get the picture. Let me go on record and say that I think this whole 72 hours thing is pure bullshit. It gives everyone a nice excuse. The people who are supposed to send notices can just tell you they were sent, but the system hasn’t been updated. You wait three or four days and then are told the notice was never sent. Do you see how this can drag on for weeks? In our case, 2 weeks.
AND ALL THIS TIME, THEY HAD OUR MONEY!
It’s funny, at times I felt like I hadn’t paid them. I felt like I was asking these people to do me a favor. And that’s how a lot of the people at Humana and Conexis talk to you. Like this is somehow your fault. We’ve paid them thousands of dollars over the last half a year, and this is how they treat us?
Meanwhile I was out of Wellbutrin and my daughter, whose medication is much more critical, was down to two days supply.
You know, I had been wondering if I really needed to be on Wellbutrin. When you’re on a medication for depression, sometimes you wonder what would happen if you just stopped taking it. I found out. I’ll tell you about that tomorrow. It’s a whole story of its own.
For today, let me say that Jeanene and I dedicated Monday and Tuesday to getting this worked out. Two educated adults, determined and intelligent, working diligently to get to the bottom of things, took two entire days to get one company to notify another company that we had paid them two weeks ago.
It’s insane, I tell you. Insanity. Do you know how we solved this problem? We took names and notes. We stopped asking if “they” had sent things and demanded to know who sent them, when, and to what email address. If we talked to someone we found out their name and their phone extension. If that person said, “This will be done in an hour or so,” in an hour or so we called them back. Every time. We badgered them and would not go away. With both of us tag-teaming on the phones, it took two full days for Humana to update our records to show that we had indeed paid them two weeks before.
This morning at 11:00 am, our insurance was reinstated. I drove straight to the Walgreens Pharmacy, got my medication, and took a dose. It will take a few days for this medication to get back into my system, but at least I have medication for the next month.
So what actually happened? There’s no way to tell for sure. We think that when Humana mistakenly cancelled our family policy, they notified Conexis but Conexis did not tell us, and they continued to take our money. This is one of the crazy things about the system. If you are one day late with a payment, alarms go off up and down the computer network. Everyone from Humana to Walgreens immediately knows that your insurance has lapsed. On the other hand, if they cancel your policy by mistake, somehow you can continue to make payments online and no one notices or says anything. If I hadn’t had to buy medication, how long do you suppose Conexis would have continued to take our money in spite of the fact that our policy had been cancelled?
I’m guessing they would have taken every penny until one of us got sick and found out in the emergency room that we had no insurance.
Note: The reason this isn't criminal is that the insurance company agrees that when you finally get it worked out, you are covered retroactively. So if one of us had gotten sick during this time, we would have eventually been reimbursed. So legally, they are fine. In the meantime, people who need medicine run out while they get jerked around by these companies.
One last thing.
Our next payment is due April 30th. We’ll pay them before the due date. However, if there is any mistake on their end, if Conexis does not notify Humana, or if Humana gets the notification but does not update their system, our policy will be cancelled. When you're on COBRA, they cancel you the day after your payment is due. There is no grace. If anything goes wrong, we’ll be doing this all over again.
The good news is, we understand the system now, and we have a bunch of names, phone numbers, and email addresses. If we have any trouble, I bet we can get it worked out in, I don't know, 72 hours or so.
rlp
Tags:
Ugh. So sorry.
This sounds utterly miserable for all concerned. So glad you got what you needed for now -- and prayers for no more snafus!
I met Sarah McManus when she
I met Sarah McManus when she was in 8th grade. This would have 1990 or 91. I was invited by THE David Gentiles, to whom “Blue Like Jazz” was dedicated, to come to the church where he was the youth minister and participate in a weekend Bible study. I was the leader for the 8th graders
You realize, CONEXIS doesn't get to keep your money right?
It actually all goes to Humana, CONEXIS *might* get 2% depending on the arrangement.
::sighs::
man o man, i will say another little prayer for u
She was the perfect Anne of
She was the perfect Anne of Green Gables, and I told her so. If L.M. Montgomery’s work hadn’t come first, I would have sworn she modeled the character on Sarah.
I took your message to heart
I was on an anti-depressant for a year, plus. After reading your blog on insurance issues, I started the process of getting off of it. I appreciate your honesty. It took me a while to come off of it. The feeling of, "crawling out of your skin" was almost too much. I finally am clear as of the 1st of the year.
Recently, I lost my job and am going onto COBRA. So, I will surely keep following to see if I can learn any of the ways to get through this.
Thanks,
John
I interpret her walking on
I interpret her walking on her toes: There was so much energy and excitement wanting to burst out of this child that she couldn’t keep her heels on the floor.
Dealing with COBRA was what changed my mind about universal care
Our first child, now choosing a college, had his delivery paid for by COBRA-extended insurance. Got home with our new baby, maybe an hour later, and we get a call from the hospital telling us that the insurance denied coverage. Fortunately, there was no middleman, and the HR person to whom I had been hand-delivering checks for months jumped on the problem and made it go away. (And, years later, I now know what probably happened -- COBRA covers the mother and baby till birth, then he is a shiny new dependent on the insurance at your new job.)
I do recall the bit about not-one-minute-late with the checks.
This experience pretty well immunized me against fearmongering about "heartless government bureaucracies". It's clear that the private sector does heartless bureaucracy with the best of them.
Four Word Solution
I have four words for you that could potentially resolve this situation quicker if, God forbid, there is a next time:
Three-Way Conference Call
Well, one of them is hyphenated, but that still counts as two words. You get my drift. Get the jerkwads both on the phone at the same time. My wife works for a doctor's office and she assures me that taking names and numbers along with getting all three parties to speak on the same line is the best way to resolve insurance issues.
My only surprise
is that some poor person deprived of their anti-pychotics for too long hasn't managed to figure out where there offices are to go on a rampage.
What they routinely put people through is inhumane and should be criminal.
"More insurance insanity. I
"More insurance insanity. I don’t know if anyone is interested in what I’m writing."
I'm interested, even though you don't know me and I've never posted here before. But you're a real person to me, because I've been reading for a long time, and your descriptions have made these problems real to me.
I've been lucky to be more or less healthy, with no real need to try to use the health insurance I've had. But in the last few months, reading about what you've gone through, and talking to my mother-in-law, who now gets her MS drugs now through a program the drug company runs to give them away... (This is nice, and politically savvy, of them, but it's terrifying to realize that they could decide to stop at any time, and these drugs are $20,000 a year.) Well, this isn't an abstract problem anymore.
I used to be on the fence about the idea of universal health insurance, leaning toward opposing it, because after all, everybody said the US had the best health care in the world...
Just within the last few months, through your descriptions of your experiences and my mother-in-law's descriptions of hers, I've realized how bad this system is, how it can leave people up shit creek through no fault of their own. I never knew how insanely expensive medical care is without insurance. I never knew how easy it was to lose your coverage or how hard it was to get covered again once you do.
You've helped open my eyes. I don't know how to fix the system, but I now know it needs to be fixed, and I now care in a way I never did before. So for whatever that's worth... And I'm sure I'm not the only one.
I don't think universal
I don't think universal health care is the solution to this problem. It's dangerous to give the government control over necessities of life.
The real problem is that the pharmaceutical companies can charge obscene amounts of money for whatever they want. This is bad for everyone, doctors, patients, insurance companies.
The problem is that we have become reliant on an insurance system to cover a basic necessity, health care. The solution as I see it is to make insuring health care costs illegal. The pharmaceutical companies will have to lower prices to accommodate that.
The only drawback I can imagine, is that new medical research might not progress as fast, that is to say artificially fast.
72 hours
rlp,
I pray that it does not take "72 hours" for the medication to get back into your system.
What ever happen to customer service? What has happen to any service? I am sitting here thinking about all the differant services that that effect our lives and the quick run through in my brain is telling me that there is no such thing as "service" anymore. Pisses me off!
service (sur'vis) n. [[< L servus, slave]]
1. the occupation of a servant 2 a)public enployment [diplomatic service] b) a branch of this; spicif., the armed forces 3 work done for others [repair service] 4 any religious ceremony 5 a) benefit; advantage b) (pl.)FRIENDLY HELP; ALSO, PROFESSIONAL AID.....
The only word that jumps out at me from the description above is the Classical Latin word, servus or SLAVE!
Blessings friend,
Kurtis
Oh Gordon...I am so, so
Oh Gordon...I am so, so sorry...for you, your whole family....I have been through this very scenario and it just made me ill to read about your journey through this created hell.....I am SO, SO Sorry!!
Gordon, I'm so sorry--this
Gordon, I'm so sorry--this is a nightmare. We went through this a few years ago with our insurance when my husband took disability for a month. It took his HR department, the disability insurance company, the health insurance company, AND the third-party company my husband's company hired to coordinate this stuff (?WHAT??) over 6 months to get it all sorted out.
Be well. My prayers are with all of you as you take names and kick some ...donkey. ;-)
Oh, man...
I am so very sorry. The frustrations with things like this...it makes me so mad that they can do this to people.
I work for attorneys. We are in Virginia, but if you ever need help, just give me a holler!
*e
Gordon, You and your family
Gordon,
You and your family are in my prayers. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
I am in the process of changing jobs and have lupus. Not life-threatening, but I need insurance. At one point I was just going to quit without a new job. And then I read your first post. My COBRA would be $600/month. Just for me. So, I will get another job with benefits.
And I am going to do what I can - not sure what - to change this horrible, awful system. I, too, have been treated just like you by insurance companies.
Brenda
Dealing with phone operators...
In similar circumstances, I too start taking names.
When it becomes clear that the person I am speaking to either cannot or will not help me, I take their name and ask to be transfered to their supervisor. If they cannot help me, I do the same. At some point I make it clear that I have nothing but time, (I really don't, but am always willing to make time) and am willing to be transfered all the way up the line to the company president if that is what it takes, even if it means being on the phone till 5:00pm.
And I do not take anyone at their word.
When I am told that something will take 72 hours to process, I always assume that there is somebody, somewhere in that company that can do it in less, especially when it was their mistake that caused you hardship.
Them: "I'm sorry, that will take 72 hours to process." Me: "Surely in this age of computers and fax machines, there is a way to do it in less."
Them: "No sir there isn't."
Me: "Surely there is someone in your fine company that can process that sooner, let me talk to your supervisor." Them:" They won't be able to help you either. Me:" I;ll take my chances."
I have found that it takes 4 or 5 transfers to find somebody who can help....
What a nightmare. We need serious reform...
I have insurance and I am afraid to go to the doctor because of my high copay and deductibles.
Also, I worry about becoming uninsurable should the ever find something.
Keep raising the issue. Perhaps it may cause a tiny groundswell of support for some radical reform.
Humana Insurance Problems
For what it's worth in 2001 it appers Humana was charged a fine of $1.25 Million because of violation of prompt payment laws in Texas. (https://wwwapps.tdi.state.tx.us/inter/asproot/commish/da/searchall.asp)
Humana Insurance Co., Employers Health Insurance Co. and Humana Health Plan of Texas Inc. of Louisville, KY
Order Number: 010840
Date of Order: 9/6/2001
Order Final In: September
Action Taken: Fines Totaling $1.25 Million, Plus Restitution
Violation: Consent Order; Alleged Prompt Payment Law Violations
Maybe your problem is an example of a current violation.
The Cheif Operating Officer is James E. Murray. You might contact him and ask him about your concerns
I'm certainly interested in
I'm certainly interested in reading about this.
I (allegedly) have insurance coverage through my husband's government job. Not sure, since he's new, and we're still waiting on the cards as proof.
Last year, when I tried to get insurance through my work, I had to fill out a long medical history as part of the application.
All of a sudden, the anxiety and depression meds I was taking seemed like a huge mistake, since I had to list them, how long I'd been taking them, associated doctor's visits, etc etc. It suddenly seemed like it a huge mistake when I saw a doctor about the allergy-triggered arthritis I was ablt to later successfully bring under control. Then there was the staph infection, and the sinus infection. Last year was the most I'd *ever* relied on mainstream health services and my insurance.
And it becomes a trap, if you ever have to fill out one of those questionnaires. I noticed questions that previously asked "have you seen a doctor about 'x' in the past 5 years" are now "have you EVER seen a doctor about 'x'". And the range of questions has expanded tremendously.
I didn't bother completing it, and breathed a huge sigh of relief when my husband landed that job. I know others aren't as lucky. :( And if something happens to my husband, I will be SOL .... because of last year.
I'm continuing to develop my personal alternative health skills (including Reiki energy healing and herbalism), and hopefully this will keep me away from the doctors, barring infections or broken limbs. I've usually been able to rely on them before.
I will also start using the pay-as-you-go cheap insta-clinics that are starting to spring up in local grocery stores, so as to avoid putting any more dings on my record.
I'm interested too
Yes, do keep telling us about all this. Many of us are in this position, or may be any day, what with employment being tight.
Off Topic Message to Diane ?
Godskid, are you Source of NYTimes adv with name Diane Brooks?
Interested in referenced Anti depressant, but msn mail bounced.
Pls reply to godskid@capespan.org tia
It's all...
It's all corporate bullshit. I'm usually a peaceful soul by nature, but when things like this happen...(sigh) it just breaks my heart. I'm praying for you and your family.
j
Hang In There
My prayers are with your family. I think a lot of time we as employees forget that we're working for our clients as much as we're working for our employers. We're all in this mess together.
sounds too familiar
Yep, same story, different characters. Two, yes, count two, years ago my wife was recommended by her GP for a sleep study. We were told, because she was covered by two health plans, both Blue Cross, that there would be no out of pocket expenses. Lots of tests, no real answers. But here is where the fun begins. My wife lost her job shortly after all the tests. Then the hospital billed the wrong insurance provider first. Then they said she wasn't covered by the insurance provider because she was now no longer an employee. After lengthy calls with the health provider who was billing us, and getting their name, we are assured things will be fixed. Three months later it starts again, and lo! the employee whose name we had is no longer there. Two years later it is still gong on.
I have noticed that those who are so rabid against universal health care are the ones who least need it. Funny that way.
health insurance
Similar stories; I'm sure everyone who isn't incredibly healthy has them.
Please, please, get politically active and push *whichever* presidential *and* congressional candidates you favor to do *something* about this. Yes, we all know there are horror stories for single-payer plans, too, but at least you aren't trying to get two or three different companies to talk to you and each other and do their jobs. Besides, I found out in a hurry when we tried to get off COBRA onto a family plan that anyone is happy to sell you insurance if they're practically positive you'll never use it. If you've ever been sick, good luck.
Yeah, that. I just went over
Yeah, that.
I just went over a year without my MS drugs because of this BS.
I think they know exactly how much additional profit results if they make it hard for people to get through the system.
And this is why we moved to Canada...
All I can say is people please vote Democrat this fall - this needs to be fixed. I know it's not a shoe in that it will ever get better but there is no reason why Americans have to live like this. Don't believe the propaganda you hear about social medicine - it works, yes has some flaws, but there is never this kind of rigmarole - it's insane. I'm so sorry that you and your family have had to go through this.
What BS
Gordon,
This is pure BS.
I do not know what else to say. All I know is that it must be fixed. Most people don't have the two days to deal with this crap.
If we can not get single payer maybe making them civily liable will help.
Blessing,
Bill
bill.finley@gmail.com
sad
Yes, and this is a big problem with people who need better health care here in the United States. The resources for it are here, big time. But it's all about money and free enterprise, and because of all those who have to struggle and many who fall through the cracks, to me it's a disaster!
in my experience...
you ask for the supervisor or call corporate.
google is a handy tool for the latter; local customer "service" centers are reticent to give out any information.
Sigh
My family had a similar problem when my daughter was born with all kinds of complications for me and for her. She was three years old before we stopped receiving collection notices for bills our insurance carrier was supposed to pay. It was much longer than that before our credit rating was restored. Sigh.
I was unable to "fix" that despite the fact that I had worked in the insurance industry for many years. (I still do.) Despite my knowledge of the industry I was unable to fix our situation (although the business of keeping logs of numbers, names, times called, commitments made -- and constant, relentless follow-up is the only way to get anything done.) The fact that ours are but two of millions of similar stories should not make us feel better. It should make us all angry. Mad as hell, in fact.
I agree that giving the government control of the healthcare system may not be the answer. Giving everyone in America access to the same quality of health insurance our government employees have would be a start. There are lots of ways to fix this but they all start with our country making a commitment to providing affordable health care for everyone. We don't have that now. Nothing will change until/unless the people demand it. As long as the "conservatives" are able to continue to brainwash people into believing that anything other than the current "god-help-you-if-you-dare-to-get-sick" healthcare system is "socialized medicine" (GASP!!!) nothing will change.
I have to confess that I worried about your situation after reading your first posts on the subject a while back. Your medical problems were too complex, and the fact that they included mental health issues was a total red flag. Your family had too many risk factors. You were gonna get cancelled. They'll do it again if you give them the least little opening.
You might consider paying your premiums well in advance of the due date, and calling every month, repeatedly if necessary,to confirm your payment was received and properly posted. You may actually get lucky and find a kind person who will help you (they are out there; I have run across them from time to time). If you find that person, get their name and number and call that person directly every month.
It's a pain in the ass. It is absurd to have to do that given the outrageous amounts of money you pay in premiums.
It is, however, better than watching the Sister go without medicine she needs in order to function normally or to go cold turkey off of anti-depressants.
Blessings to you and to all who labor under the burden of illness, made worse by our abusive insurance system. God have mercy on the people who perpetrate this ridiculous system.
That's horrible
Thank you for sharing this, and you have my deepest sympathy. It makes the horror of the US medical system real to read about such, well, atrocities.
I can't imagine how anyone can get away with such blatant inefficiencies and errors that cause so much suffering.
It is infuriating. No,
It is infuriating. No, enraging.
I'm reading this on Thursday night and am glad you were able to get it resolved. I've learned through grim experience, just like you, to get everyone's name and number and harass them endlessly until they do what they said they would do.
Gordon, I've recently had
Gordon,
I've recently had dealings with Conexis very similar to yours, costing me days of work, and according to the HR person at my old company, they are well known for this kind of dealing.
I suspect that if you put the word Conexis in the title of a blog post and in the first paragraph of your story, you would be hearing from their "executive assistance office" because your story would be the first thing that people find when they Google Conexis.
Worth a try if you need a little leverage?
Peace be with you,
Geodog
I'm thinking about just
I'm thinking about just checking out of the insurance thing totally.
My doctor is on a new program where he's checking out too. He's no longer taking any insurace; instead I give him a retainer and I get to go as often as I need to. He's given me his home phone number and cell; he will do consultations over Skype and house calls.
I'm maintaining "Major Medical" (not called that anymore) for specialists and hospitalizatons with a HUGE deductable (that me retainer goes against.)
But I checked out. I'm just not going to deal with insurance anymore.
Also -- since I use a small local pharmacy, my pharmacists will sell me one pill at a time. I almost ran out of my meds for a similar reason -- I purchased two pills to tide me over. Some larger chains will allow you to do this; for most of them it's against their policy. The small pharmacy will match the lowest price that I can find in the country, as well. Markup for pharmacies on drugs is HUGE.
I wish you luck on this journey. pack a lunch.
Can someone please explain
Can someone please explain what the American fear of 'socialised health-care' is all about? 'Government control over necessities of life'? Is the government really worse than the insurance people you currently deal with?
I'm 25. I take medication for asthma, which has hospitalised me several times. I have twice required surgery for unrelated problems and once took a course of anti-anxiety medication to help me through PTSD. Because I'm an Australian citizen I'm covered by Medicare (public health cover) and always will be. None of the medical care I've needed has been costly for myself or my family, and none of it has jeopardised my future insurance prospects.
Ok, it's not a perfect system. Often you have to wait for non-emergency surgery, or pay a gap fee when doctors charge more than Medicare thinks they need to. Patients who can afford extra private cover get better treatment. But still, I'll never be uninsurable because I was sick and I went to the doctor. I'm trying to see the downside here...
Here is one which will make
Here is one which will make you laugh, hopefully. My son broke his arm one Friday night. We took him to the ER and had it set in a temporary cast, because.. it was too swollen to put into a hard cast. Insurance covered this, because we had ER coverage for accidents. But then the arm continued to swell overnight, we ended up back in the ER on Saturday morning, to have the temporary cast redone. Insurance never, never agreed to pay for this, because the hospital listed as reason for treatment some code for "swelling" ( which can never be associated with an accident, apparently) instead of "broken arm" on our paperwork. Hospital never, never agreed to change their wording. I had so many goofy conversations with both the hospital and the insurance company about this. No logic could ever get either one to budge. It is a ridiculous system.
Conexis Sucks
I was searching online for complaints against Conexis and stumbled onto your post. I'm having similar issues (not as dire as the predicament you were in--sorry to hear about that). These morons are gladly cashing my checks for @$1500/month, yet they can't seem to get anything done with the insurance company. Fortunately, I'm dealing with BCBS (rather than Humana), and they are getting Conexis straightened out.
Good luck to you and everyone.
Conexis does this on purpose I think
I too could not find any info online about the operations of Conexis. I have been paying them a monthly check for over 6 months and not until a recent doc visit did I find out that my insurance is no longer "active". I at first thought it had to be a mistake and it took another hour of the doctors office to verify that I indeed had no coverage. I was fortunate enough to be able to pay the bill in full. After calling Conexis 4 times and 4 weeks later, they still have not updated BlueCross. I am going to call them again and start taking names and numbers as suggested above. Thanks to everyone for posting their stories and it's upsetting to hear about those who really need the coverage asap. I feel like reporting Conexis, but I do not know where to begin (online that is).
Don't use Conexis for
Don't use Conexis for anything. They are pain in the butt to deal with.
They are Flexible Spending Account manager for my company for last few years and it is a nightmare to get any claim approved from them. All they do is make excuses and tell lies.
DON'T EVER USE THIS COMPANY FOR ANYTHING!!
Oh fond memories. History is
Oh fond memories. History is what determines us.
Oh fond memories. History is
Oh fond memories. History is what determines us.
http://www.inacall.com
Really,heart touching!
FIle a Complaint against Conexis
Any problems, file a claim against Conexis with your state's Department of Insurance.
Conexis
I was searching for information about problems with Conexis and found this post. This company is unbelievable. And, yes, I believe that their behavior is intentional; they are trying very hard NOT to provide coverage. After reading one of the above posts, I realize that I now have to check if Conexis has actually paid my coverage.
What is wrong with this country that we have to put up with this crap?
I was told by my state insurance commissioner rep that I had to contact Dept of Labor to file a complaint.
Wow
I just checked with my insurance company and Conexis has not been paying them. Wow.
Submitted by joshklee on
Submitted by joshklee on Thu, 04/24/2008 - 10:48.
It's all corporate bullshit. I'm usually a peaceful soul by nature, but when things like this happen...(sigh) it just breaks my heart. I'm praying for you and your family.film izle
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The Same Boat
I have not read all of the comments, but I read your story and we are in a very similar boat with the birth of our son. He was born back in June and while you have a limited time to contact them, it took them 18 days to respond to my email, only to state that we did not provide enough information. No one has ever responded to a phone call.
conexis
i cant believe that in this day and age that conexis can conduct business this way. i wrote them a check, but did not know my insurance had been picked up by a new carrier. called conexis and requested a refund and was told to call back in two weeks. of course when i called back no one knew anything about my situation and to call back in two days. i did this and was told by a man called anthony ext. 7747 that no one there could help me. asked to speek with a supervisor and was given a name of jerri. after repeated calls and waiting she also said that there was nothing she could do. i then asked for her supervisor and was put on hold forever. called back and was put on hold. spent all of one day like this. i dont know what to try next, it seems that when you make them angry you are blackballed and no one will pick up phone.
conexis
i cant believe that in this day and age that conexis can conduct business this way. i wrote them a check, but did not know my insurance had been picked up by a new carrier. called conexis and requested a refund and was told to call back in two weeks. of course when i called back no one knew anything about my situation and to call back in two days. i did this and was told by a man called anthony ext. 7747 that no one there could help me. asked to speek with a supervisor and was given a name of jerri. after repeated calls and waiting she also said that there was nothing she could do. i then asked for her supervisor and was put on hold forever. called back and was put on hold. spent all of one day like this. i dont know what to try next, it seems that when you make them angry you are blackballed and no one will pick up phone.
Conexis is the devil!
SAME exact thing here. I paid Conexis. They didn't pay Blue Cross. And to the fellow who said "3 way conference call" or whatever, I DID THAT!!!!!!! Can you believe they STILL wouldn't help me? I had Blue Cross and Conexis on the phone with each other and there was nothing they could do.
Finally DAYS LATER after I had NO way to use my insurance for an entire month, I got reinstated.
Fine, well since Conexis didn't do the job they are paid to do, then they should not be paid. So I ask for a refund for the month where I couldn't use my insurance due to their error. Of course, they refuse. I talk to a manager, and he also refuses. He says they DID DO THEIR JOB! What the fvck planet is this guy from? So I asked for his boss, and he says "I DONT HAVE A BOSS!" I said "the hell you don't. who do you report to?!" He says some lady's name, and I ask how I can speak to her. He says "YOU CAN'T!" So I asked him if he knew how much it would cost Conexis if I subpoenaed all their records and every employee I spoke with to California for court. He tried to tell me I was breaking the law by threatening that. I told him it's absolutely not a threat and 100% what I will do, and that the decision was up to him. So he said he was making the decision for me to go ahead with suing. I immediately asked for the name and address of their registered agent for service in California, and he refused to give it to me. Now THAT might be illegal.
I opened a complaint with the BBB, and Conexis fired back with some BS about not being able to discuss anything due to HIPAA. That I could find a (NONEXISTENT) authorization form on the Conexis website if I wanted them to talk to the BBB. And they said that they had already contacted me and RESOLVED my issue! HAHA!
Conexis is the devil. If we had single payer, I wouldn't be dealing with them. I'd have guaranteed insurance due to being a US citizen.