Scum

F*%@ing Health Insurance

In the never ending saga of my attempts to get claims that should be 100% covered (after our co-payment), I received a bill today from the facility noting that our claim is being sent to collections for processing due to an outstanding balance.  Nice.  End result of my 45 minutes spent is that we owe nothing, as I've been told each time I've called and wasted a hour or two of my time, but then the insurance company still doesn't live up to its responsibility and pay the fucking thing.  The thing is, if I don't follow up on each of these each time, the insurance company just makes these mysterious mistakes in the claims.  First they said the facility was out of network (not true);  then they said it was billed incorrectly by the facility (not true);  then they say certain procedures were denied because they're not part of our plan (not true); then they say we owe the copay (not true - already paid - Aetna flagged two portions causing the facility to bill us twice).

Please.  None of this is a mistake.  I thought that at first, but that it happens on every.single.one of our claims ... clearly this is a pattern.  They just want me to give up and pay for things that are legitimately covered by insurance. And it almost worked.  I was just going to pay the first bill even though I knew it wasn't my responsibility (this one, by the way, was a bill because Aetna charged me for two copays on the same visit, making the hospital rebill me for a copay that was already paid - a fact that the cust rep on the phone sees immediately when looking at my claim).  However, when the amount of the second claim they messed up was high enough for me to say I wasn't willing to roll over, I had to start digging again, only to discover what I already knew: insurance companies are scum. 

Another hour of my life wasted by Aetna.  I wish there was a way to charge them for my time.   Bastards.  Now I have to put it on my calendar to follow-up on this since if I don't do Aetna's job for them, it hurts my credit record.  Ahhh, nice to know my SBR (seething ball of rage) feelings towards shitty companies has not completely disappeared.