Insurance Craptacular

The past two days my stress level has been at CODE RED level status due to insurance craptacular insurance company issues and major FAILS on every level.

First, my mother was in a car accident on Wednesday morning and totaled her 1992 Cadillac De Ville, which only had 45,000 miles and was her dream car. She's fine and so is the other person who was involved in the accident, (thank GOD) but the car insurance company craziness has made us both crazy.

I'm fielding calls from her company and reporting the info back to her while trying to work. She's sad she lost her car, frustrated about the accident and what it will do to her premiums, and nervous about learning the ins and outs of another car.

Second: My own health insurance company is putting me through the mill so to speak. Since the whole "1 in a million" incident, my insurance company has audited and made me switch policies.

I did and am now paying twice as much per month for the premium, and a specialist co-pay of $50 verses my old policy rate of $15. As of Monday they still hadn't issued me a new policy number, and I was forced to cancel my follow up eye appointment that had been scheduled for today.
I rescheduled for Tuesday and will go whether I have a policy I.D. or not.

My Insurance Rep called me this morning and told me that the reason it was taking so long- it's been 3 weeks since the check was written & and the application filled out and sent via registered letter.

The letter was signed for and then forwarded to the wrong office - YES, I'm serious. Then said registered letter had to be sent back (via snail mail) to the original address it had been originally sent to.

It arrived (and the check was cashed) and the application was left sitting on a desk of the only person (apparently at Horizon Blue Cross, only 1 person in the entire north east can process the application and issue an insurance I.D number) and she happens to be at a seminar all week.
My insurance rep has been great. he's driving to Newark on Monday and come hell or high water, will have a new insurance I.D for me.

Why am I telling you all this? The reasons are simple. I'm angry, frustrated, stressed, and annoyed and wish this country could get their proverbial sh*t together as far as insurance was concerned. I payed my bill 3 weeks early, my policy started on March 1, and I still don't have an insurance I.D. number. Insurance companies need to be held accountable for their mistakes and errors instead of doing whatever they want, whenever it suits them.

They make us pay a HUGE penalty for being a person with diabetes and hold us accountable on every level because of our faulty pancreas. Insurance companies need to held accountable for their faults as well - and they need to start paying the price!

BUT there are silver linings folks, you just have to look for them.
A. My mom is OK
B. My insurance rep will have an insurance I.D number for me by Monday - he even gave me his home number in case I needed it
C. Diabetes has been playing extremely nice as of late. My blood sugar numbers have been great all week- even during the most stressful of moments. I am so GRATEFUL For that!

Did I mention the fact that I'm SO HAPPY it's Friday?

And a big shout out to Bennet at Your Diabetes May Vary, for taking all of our insurance frustrations to heart after listening to my complients via twitter yesterday! http://www.ydmv.net/2010/03/declaration-of-reauthorized.html