A little over a week ago I found out my work was changing health insurance carriers on January 1st. However, despite my knowledge of this change, I was sworn to secrecy as it was not announced to the staff until yesterday. Regardless, this impending change undoubtedly created a very large headache for me as, with the new carrier, my current OB doctor and hospital will be out-of-network. Ugh!
The only reason I found out about this change early was because I contacted the broker to learn about international coverage should we need medical attention while in Ireland. Since we will be overseas when the year changes, the broker had to show me information for both the current and the new plan. When reading that email I immediately panicked. Ok, well panicked isn’t quite the right word, but I went into a OMG what can I do to keep my current doctor mode. I talked to the broker, HR, and my current insurance company. Immediately anything to do with the current company was eliminated as they don’t offer a continuation plan and in Colorado, pregnancy counts a pre-existing condition (not all states do).
After talking to the broker and HR (who also talked to the broker) I learned that if I was 28 weeks (the beginning of the 3rd trimester) when the plan goes into effect on 1/1/10 the new carrier would pretty much have to let me continue to see my current doctor. However, on 1/1 I will be 25 weeks. Knit-picky, I know. If I’m also considered to be high-risk, the new carrier won’t want to cause me any additional stress and thus would grant me the continued coverage. Having been diagnosed with a low-lying placenta, puts me in a category where there is the potential for high-risk, should the placenta not move with the growing uterus.
There is a form the new carrier required me to complete to apply for the Continuity of Care coverage. This form included a page to be filled out by me and one from my doctor. This form also had to be faxed in at least 20 days prior to the plan change. So, it’s also a blessing that I found out about the change when I did, as the form was faxed in yesterday (the day staff was notified), which was 21 days prior to the effective date. Oy! I dropped the form off at my doctor’s office on Monday and told them I needed it back on Thursday so I could fax it in on Friday. Thursday I called to check on the stats only to learn that it was not completed and it was my doctor’s off day. Ugh! The receptionist promised me that it would be filled out Friday morning, so when I got there that afternoon with the other half of the paperwork they could fax it for me. I did get a call yesterday afternoon informing me that it was indeed ready to be picked up. Yay! Now, my goal was to a) get to the office in Boulder, from Denver, before 5:00 and b) not run out of gas in the process.
Thankfully I made it to the office with about 20 minutes to spare (yay for people not going to work on Fridays and thus not being in my way!) and for having enough gas (although my light was on warning me I was driving on fumes). I was pleased to see that on the form my doctor played-up the potential of placenta previa and told the new carrier that my pregnancy is “complicated”. She also mentioned all the additional scans and appointments I will need. So hopefully, with all that information the Continuity of Care department will grant my request! I’m supposed to find out before 1/1, and would ideally like to know before my next appointment on the 23rd (so I can get additional information from my doctor on changing physicians should that be necessary). But, realistically, the big reveal will probably come while I am in Ireland.
Many people are currently praying over this insurance issue, that I do not have to change doctors and hospitals right before the last three months of my pregnancy. You are welcome to join them. Also, even though previa would not be an ideal aspect of pregnancy and hopefully will not be a reality for me, perhaps having the scan show the low placenta is a blessing in disguise if it allows me to keep my doctor. I did come to a peace over this situation last week. If I have to change, I have to change, I just prefer not to. But now, everything I can do on my end has been done and all that’s left is to wait.
