Worth the Fight?
Sometimes it just doesn't seem worth the fight. A few months ago, we had a problem with our mail order pharmacy. They sent out several prescriptions, but failed to bill us for them, or tell us when we went to place an order several times afterwards that we owed them anything. Suddenly, two years after some of these prescriptions were sent out, we were sent a beautiful collection notice bill for all of these "forgotten" billings on the part of the insurance. They refused to send out prescriptions until we had paid it, and offered no sort of payment plans, etc. They never even sent us an invoice. They just sent us to collections.
Finally sorting out the mess, paying it off just to be able to get our medications and placing our first New Year order for medications, it finally arrived a month later! With a bill attached saying we owed the SAME amount of money that the collection bill had been for. Calling the mail order pharmacy, they fought me for over an hour, threatening to not send us out prescriptions, and finally agreeing to call the collection company to verify the confirmation number I had given them. But they told me it might take up to 30 days. Aka in the insurance world as "next time you place an order, we'll continue this discussion and attempt to collect more money from you."
Does anyone else have frustrations like this with their mail order pharmacy company?
Finally sorting out the mess, paying it off just to be able to get our medications and placing our first New Year order for medications, it finally arrived a month later! With a bill attached saying we owed the SAME amount of money that the collection bill had been for. Calling the mail order pharmacy, they fought me for over an hour, threatening to not send us out prescriptions, and finally agreeing to call the collection company to verify the confirmation number I had given them. But they told me it might take up to 30 days. Aka in the insurance world as "next time you place an order, we'll continue this discussion and attempt to collect more money from you."
Does anyone else have frustrations like this with their mail order pharmacy company?
Posted by Diabetic Parents at 1/29/2010 8:20 AM 
Categories: parenthood
Tags: insurance payments debt parenthood diabetes
Categories: parenthood
Tags: insurance payments debt parenthood diabetes
I get all my regular prescriptions through a local pharmacy. I don't do mail order for anything other than my pump supplies from the company. The most trouble I had w/ that was when my insurance company didn't pay for nearly 6 months and then I got slapped w/ several co-pays at once. My pump company worked w/ me on it though. Have you tried a local pharmacy?
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I had that happen with my parents once. Once was all it took. Fortunately we pay by credit card and I faxed a copy of the statement in to prove my point. From that point on it's only the local pharmacy for us. The little bit of savings is not worth the hassle. Also - most insurances let you refill every 23 days or 83 days (depending on if it's a 30 day or 90 day scrip.) You aren't really saving money if you are religious about your refills and do them the first day you can. Just FWIW.
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Unfortunately Cara and Peter I have no choice but to go through this insurance mail order pharmacy. My husbands current pharmacy plan makes us pay up front for our prescriptions if we DON'T go through the insurance mail order pharmacy. Our insulin would be close to $2,000 for a three month prescription! We would get 80% reimbursed back to us, but I guess when you view $40 for a three month supply from our mail order pharmacy, it makes sense to stay with them. Even with the hassles of it. But there are days I just want to throw my hands in the air after trying to sort a problem out with them and walk away.
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