United Health Care is without a CARE...

Is it just me or are we all living in a world of strange, unusual change? Early this year, my insurance carrier, United Health Care, contacted me to let me know that they now have a program that will cover my dental and visual needs at no additional charge, all I have to do is switch to that program. I was all for it. No additional charge and plenty of additional coverage. I bit!

The first thing that happened was, I went to local pharmacy and tried to pick up my monthly prescriptions and was told my new insurance company does not cover some of my drugs..........what??? I had to have my doctor's office write letters saying that I needed precisely that drug, not some generic equivalent. A new letter is required every 6 months. No big deal, just a little disconcerting. Then the letters and phone calls started. All of the letters are of little interest and I toss them daily into the trash. The phone calls come almost every morning and they are generated by robots, no human involvement. If I don't answer, which is my option, they repeat the phone calls until I finally return the call with a pin number and am then told by a recording, it's time to refill a prescription.........What??? All of my life, whenever it was time to refill a prescription, I would do it by noticing the little container was empty OR close to empty, I didn't need a reminder. How infuriating!

Everyday it's something with United Health Care. One day, I received a letter saying to call a certain number or to fill out the ridiculous questionnaire and mail it back to them. I decided it was easier to call and do it over the phone. I get another robot and am humiliated into answering questions of a rather personal nature to a recording. For example: Do you sometimes feel depressed and that life is not worth living and you would be better off dead? My answer was: Only when I have to answer questions to a recording! I then told the recording that I wanted to end "it's" life! Evidently, I passed the psycho test, they stopped calling anyway.

Next, they assign me a new primary care physician, right here in Scottsdale. My old one wasn't on their list of okay doctors. I try to make a call to this doctors office to get a flu shot, only to find that he or she does not have an office, he is mobile. Kind of like Meals on Wheels for health care. So, when the little girl tells me that there is no office for me to come to and the doctor does not offer flu shots, I was S-O-L! Then she starts reading off of a script and says, "Wouldn't it be nice to have the doctor come visit you?" I yelled, "Hell no" and hung up! Now it was back to UHC for a new primary care physician.

They assigned me this time to a Hollis Underwood, just around the corner from me, but once again, no flu shots. I explain that I should probably have an appointment with my new PCP, just so I can call and get referrals to other doctors, if the time comes that I need one. The very professional receptionist informs me that her first appointment is in February.. Wait, it gets better. She then tells me that in spite of the fact that I have full medicare and a supplement with United Health Care (UHC), I am still required to issue them a check for $150 annually, for administrative costs!

I instantly got so mad that words would not form in my mouth, so I did what any sane person would do and just hung up! Wouldn't you?