Don't Make Me Come Over There

Dear Insurance Company:

I pay premiums.

You pay claims.

See how that works? You profit and we get health care. Nice and tidy.

I'm not really sure why I keep having to play intermediary between you and doctors and hospitals for things like routine annual checkups and justified emergency room visits, but it's getting to be a tad annoying. At this point, I'm relatively confident that any use of any healthcare facility by any member of my family will result in my getting a bill from that facility six weeks later because you've denied the claim. I call them, then I call you, then the doctor's office calls you, then they resubmit, and then eventually, you pay.

Cute dance. But honestly, I had a crappy weekend and I'm still battling this sinus thing that landed in my face last week, and I am very simply not in the mood. I am especially not in the mood to pay $400 for my daughter's well-visit from last September because you have it in your head that the doctor's office billed you twice for it. (For the record, I have two kids and they both had checkups on the same day. You got two bills for two different children. See?)

I'm feeling about you right now the way I'm feeling about Exxon: nice profit, but must it all come out of the consumers' hides? Just because you can do it?

I'm going to keep paying premiums. How about if you, then, start paying the bills without my having to nag you about it every stinking time? Sound OK? Because if not, I'm seriously going to start unleashing the mommy-wrath all over your higher-ups' private parts. And nobody wants that.

Frustratedly yours-

Kim