Referral Hell

So, yesterday, I resigned myself to the fact that I am having a lumpectomy. I even manage to look on the bright side and say, "Hey, I'm one of the lucky ones - at least they caught mine and caught it early. Others aren't so lucky."

Today, I'm trying to get permission to make the MRI appointment so that I can then go ahead and have the surgery, and I'm told that this won't be covered. They cover MRIs for all sorts of other reasons - even to look for something ruptured in the breast - but not to see if there is cancer lurking in the dark corners of my boobs! I was stunned - I'm stunned a lot lately.

What I wanted to do  was scream into the phone, "What do you mean you won't cover it?!!" But all I could do was mutter, "uh-huh" and fight back the tears. In addition to being stunned, I seem to cry a lot lately, too - and I'm far from being a cryer.

I talked to yet one more insurance person who, after reading that the request was indeed marked urgent, it was still going to take the requisite 72 hours for approval and that there was no actual timeline for approval - the 72 hours was the earliest it would be approved, or not, in this case.

It is beyond my comprehension that anyone would deny a person access to technology or treatment that could be lifesaving. The gentleman I spoke to said, "Well, just because we don't approve it, doesn't mean you can't have the treatment." Yeah, and I have to pay for it myself. I have insurance for a reason! And actually, I'm lucky because I can afford to pay for it myself. What about others who can't? Now we're talking life, death, and the almighty dollar...Makes me sick.

Now for a phone call back to the doctor's office to see if they can do anything on their end. I need to just put their number on speed dial. Would save some time.