Or if you want anesthesia with your colonoscopy. Because anthem says f*** you you don’t get that.
Was without insurance on my last go round and went the no anesthesia route. Still got a bill from the anesthesiologist, who was of course with a different provider than the one who technically performed my scoping.
Took a few go rounds in the phone with them, but I told them I very clearly remembered not having anesthesia, and if they were trying to charge for the “consult” I got from their anesthesiologist, which was simply, “oh, you’re not getting anesthesia, right?”, that I was in no way giving them the couple hundred dollars they were billing me.
Actual experience wasn’t too bad. I think the prep is worse than the procedure, with it without anesthesia, I didn’t need to hang out as long after, and I could drive myself home after. If your getting one, you’ve likely already gotten the finger poke, and it wasn’t majorly worse than that. Plus you can watch your rear on TV!
All the times I had it, I had to pay anyway, because while the providers are all network, the anesthesiologists all seem to not be and are the most expensive part. Private healthcare or no healthcare sucks.
Oh they’re ready to cover the procedure. They just decided in April that they weren’t covering anesthesia anymore. I spoke with three separate GI doctors that all recommended only having the procedure done under anesthesia and cited that It was better for The doctors involved. Anthem won’t even cover the sedative to chill they’re just grabbing for money wherever they can. Miserable f****** company.
That’s how it was other times I’ve had it since with insurance, the camera work is covered, but not the gas, it at least not all of it. The anesthesia is the expensive part though, so not a great help.
It didn’t take that long to do the exam. It wasn’t fun, but I probably had close to a dozen hand probes by then, so I said just do it.
They might be able to do it a bit faster if you’re out, but I swear it didn’t take more than a minute or 2. I gather doing them awake was how it was typically done until relatively recently. Plus as I said too, no recovery time from the gas and you don’t need to have someone wait there with you and drive you home, which can be a plus too.
I agree, they should pick up the tab for it though, it’s not like anyone wants a camera up there with a live studio audience. Cheap bastards…
OK so… Preventative care is free, my insurance doesn’t make me pay. But anything else, I have to pay out of pocket… Like, what’s the point of the insurance?
Looks like I need to go a-karening about the $200 bill I just paid for a mammogram. Thanks Kaiser.
so many places requiring a credit card. They say they will pay you back if they get an insurance payment but many don’t even try. screw up claim and don’t attempt to fix it because the insurance is only going to give them a tenth of what they bill. things are so screwed up here.
