HMO Hell

Yes, that's where I am. I have spent all afternoon on the phone with insurance companies and doctors and I just need to vent. So in September I had my first doctor appointment and my initial ultrasound. So far so good. Well then came time for my 12 week appointment. I waited at the doctors for almost three hours and was never seen. So I rescheduled for a few weeks later. The office called the day of my appointment and said the doctor couldn't see me and rescheduled me for a couple weeks later. I got another call the day of my appointment saying dr. so and so was out but could they reschedule me. I told her that dr. so and so wasn't my doctor. "Oh, really? That's who we have you down with..." Time for another doctor's office! So I call my primary doctor and ask for a referral to a different OB. Well surprise, surprise there's only one OB in the medical group. So I call my insurance and they tell me my only option is to change medical groups. Fine, I don't care. So Jared goes online to change medical groups, gets the nice little confirmation that Nov. 1 we'll have a new medical group. Well we never get new insurance cards. So I call the insurance again, there's no record of the request. So I tell the woman the whole story, is there anyway she can post date the request? No. So I get to wait another 4 weeks for the change to take effect. Which brings us to present day. I go in to see my new doctor, ask him for a referral to an OB. Oh sure, not a problem. Well I get a call from his office person that afternoon. None of the OBs in the medical group will see you, you're too far along. Ok, so what do I do now? I can refer you over to county services. Are you kidding me?!? So back on the phone with PacifiCare, what do I do now? Well you can go back to your old OB. Oh you mean the one that cancels all my appointments? Yes. Do I have to wait another 4 weeks because that's a different medical group? Oh no we can make that immediate. And I'm thinking but a month ago you couldn't do that...how interesting. So I call the horrid OB's office back to make an appointment. Oh we won't see you, you waited too long between appointments. At this point horrible swear words are spontaneously spewing forth from me. So back on the phone to PacifiCare, what do I do now? Well you'll have to call the medical group's management office and try to take it up with them. So you aren't going to do anything, even though I've been paying my premiums this whole time and not getting any medical services. I'm sorry ma'am there's nothing we can do for you. At this point it's 5pm and of course the office for the medical group is closed, I have an enormous headache and did I mention that Natalie broke an ornament, spilled a bottle of juice and jumped on me about 10 times during all this? If anyone is interested in sneaking me some pitocin in about 18 weeks I'll be just fine....