August 16 – “Page four”

And so it has begun.  The trials and tribulations of dealing with Medicare have officially arrived at my doorstep.  This first one has to do with medications.

I called in a prescription refill after having given the pharmacy all the new Medicare information.  I waited until it was ready for pickup – plenty of time to make the call and get the appropriate clearances needed.  And then I arrived.  And the price was a whopping $6.49 more than it should have been.  Now, I understand that a measly six bucks just doesn’t sound like much, but over the course of a year, that amounts to $77.88.  That’s almost three tanks of gas in our car.  All true, you know, but not even the point.  See, the point is, I had the policy statement in my hands that said exactly what the cost should have been.  Page four.  The pharmacy guy called the insurance company.  Nope.  They insisted it was the correct price.  I decided to pay it this time and call them myself when I had the benefits book in front of me. 

And so began another adventure.  I only had to be on hold for around five minutes, a record, I figured.  The guy I talked to was nice enough.  I explained the situation to him, and after I finally got him to consider the correct medicine order, he dropped his first bombshell.  “We have no record of that claim ever being turned in.”  Well, wait a minute.  I explained that I had just returned from the pharmacy.  I had the pills in my hand.  I had not paid the hundreds of dollars they are allegedly worth.  I had paid what the pharmacist had been told to charge by a representative of his company, which, according to page four of my benefits book, was $6.49 more than I should have paid. 

He put me on hold again.  I could hear the Jeopardy theme song dancing in my head.  And finally he returned.  And suddenly he totally agreed with me.  Even referenced … page four.  Imagine that.  So he put me on hold and made a call to the pharmacy.  When he returned?  “No sir, Mr. Kelley.  The price they charged was the correct price.”  Wait.  What?  You just told me …  What about page four?  More than that, what about next month?  And the next?  He finally agreed to send me a form to fill out requesting a refund.  All fine and good, but then I asked, “So will I have to give you a call every month from now on to get a copy of the reimbursement form?  Or should I just make a few copies of it before I fill it out?”  Guess what his answer was.  “No sir, Mr. Kelley.  If the pharmacy calls us you will be charged the correct rate.  It’s all right there.  On … (all together now …) page four.”  Can’t wait.

Psalms 91:4 says, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Father, thank you for the assistance these medicines are to those of us with issues.  Could you maybe grease some wheels in the process to make it a little easier for us old folks?  Amen.