My Experience with Health Insurance Transportation
The Reality of Insurance Transportation Providers Today, I’m going to…
The Reality of Insurance Transportation Providers
Today, I’m going to talk a little about insurance transportation providers. I have several health issues and frequently need to attend doctor or specialist appointments. Since I don’t have a vehicle and can’t afford taxis, I rely on transportation provided by my insurance company. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that this option is available, but the rides are often unpleasant.
A Minute in the Clouds with Greg Day 15
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Third-Class Citizens
Patients using insurance transportation are treated like third-class citizens. This is particularly true when you are using a wheelchair. Today, I will discuss insurance transportation providers in more detail.
The Dirty Mask Vehicle!
One time, I remember being picked up for an appointment, and the vehicle being extremely dirty, both inside and out. There were used face masks on the floor, empty soda cans, drink cups, food wrappers, and some kind of dusty debris that looked like chalk dust scattered everywhere.
The dashboard was so dirty that smudge marks were visible where someone had tried to adjust a dial and missed. There was a large horizontal crack running across three quarters of the windshield. The vehicle emitted a foul odor, a combination of body odor and dirt if I had to guess.
The shocks and suspension definitely needed to be repaired, the ride was bumpy and uncomfortable, not just slightly uncomfortable either. I am talking about physical pain because the ride was so rough, violently rough. On top of erratic driving as is often the case with these company drivers, I am in great deal of pain during and after.
Potholes
Living in Ohio does not help. Our roads are notorious for being full of potholes. POTHOLES, more like Craters sometimes!!!
It was evident that the owner of the vehicle was very negligent in keeping it clean, hygienic, and well-maintained. This is a serious issue as there are people with weak immune systems or medical conditions who could become ill from such filth.
Wheelchair Sat Where Groceries Go
You are often positioned in the vehicles where the groceries normally go. That is a common occurrence when you are in a wheelchair. The way a lot of the cars are setup, the wheelchair ramp comes out of the tailgate. They often still have the rear seat still installed, so yea, I do mean, you are sat where the groceries or luggage would normally go.
Turn That Music Down!
During my last appointment, the driver arrived with the music blaring, but did lower it slightly when he stopped. Unfortunately, I was placed in the area where the luggage would go, again that’s not unusual. Two speakers were positioned directly behind me.
Many times, the music in the car is excessively loud. As someone who suffers from migraines, I find that loud music, particularly with a heavy bass beat, can trigger a headache and potentially escalate into a migraine if I’m not careful. The music made me feel nauseated and disoriented. It was rap music, and nearly every other word was offensive, including racial slurs and derogatory terms. You get the idea!
I felt extremely uncomfortable and decided to ask the driver if he could adjust the speaker balance so that it wasn’t as loud in the back, or if he could simply turn it down since I get migraines. He pressed a few buttons on the dashboard and then said he didn’t know how to change it. It seems that somehow the volume dial had vanished between the time he initially lowered the volume upon arrival and when I asked him to turn it down. Imagine that!
Tipped Over and Out of My Wheelchair
The drivers are usually unprofessional and do not secure the wheelchair. I have been tipped over before, or when I have asked if they would please secure my wheelchair, they have been unhappy that I asked, and then driven erratically. They speed, make sharp movements, or brake hard when it is not necessary, as if punishing me for asking to be secured correctly. Several times my aid has had to try and secure my chair because the driver hadn’t.
Missed Appointments
I have missed numerous doctor appointments because the transportation company either didn’t show up or arrived too late for me to be seen on time. When you call the transportation booking number provided by your insurance company, you are required to provide all your details to ensure that you are the policyholder. While this is a necessary security measure and as such appreciated, it can be a lengthy process.
The representatives only answer calls and need to put you on hold to contact dispatch, who then contacts the transportation provider. If, like today, the transportation provider fails to show up, you are instructed to speak directly to dispatch. However, they put you on hold and transfer the call without providing any information to the new person.
This means that you have to start from the beginning again, including providing your name and explaining what happened, as well as what the previous person said. This process can be extremely frustrating, especially for someone with memory problems caused by ADHD and a TBI. Repeating everything is not easy, especially when it was already difficult the first time.
Three and a Half Hours Late
Once, a driver was 3 and a half hours late picking me up to go home. He told me it was my own fault for calling my insurance company instead of calling him directly! That is something the insurance company specifically tells you not to do. They specifically instruct you not to call anyone other than them when you are ready to go home. However, individual drivers and companies tell you to call them when you are ready to go home.
Then, when they don’t show up or arrive really late, there is no record of it because you never called the insurance company. This is a way to avoid receiving complaints about them when they make people wait for hours, fail to return, or simply do not show up.
I informed him that I was instructed to contact the insurance company, not the driver or transport provider. The guidelines are explicit about this, as I previously mentioned. I told him that I didn’t even have his number. He became confrontational and insisted that I did have his number because he had called me earlier in the day to inform me that he was on his way to pick me up for the appointment.
I attempted to explain once more about the instruction to not call drivers, and that I also have memory problems. The conversation was extremely stressful. The Doctor’s office had closed. I was outside and it was extremely hot weather.I had nothing to drink, and nowhere to get out of the heat.
Threatened and Afraid for My Life
I lost my composure, I’m not proud of it. But I said for the umpteenth time, “I dont have your Fucking Number” Well what happened next was more than insane. He called his office and said I had threatened him and he was afraid for his life. My health aid was yelling at him to stop this. Then he said she was threatening him now too.
At this point I was already in his vehicle. A car that must have belonged to someone in the building and was still in the parking lot wanted to get out of the parking space. The transportation driver had parked behind their car. He started to move the vehicle whilst still screaming he was afraid for his life and that he was being threatened. Presumably it was his office he was yelling at.
Sparks Flying
The wheelchair ramp was still out and when he moved the vehicle, sparks were coming off the ramp as it dragged across the concrete parking lot. I felt extremely unsafe and in danger. It was disorientating and insane. Was he trying to purposely put me in danger?
I was partially secured in my wheelchair inside his vehicle, he did at least start securing my wheelchair, probably because I complained when he picked me up to take me to the appointment. But now, here I was “trapped” secured in a vehicle, no way out. The sliding side door where the wheelchair ramp extended, wide open, the ramp fully extended, sparking along the parking lot.
What Are You Doing
My health aid shouting “what are you doing” I tried to unsecure myself, eventually managing to do so, but somehow gashing my hand open in the process. He eventually stopped the vehicle after he had moved backward and forward, or forward and backward several times. For all I knew he was going to drive away, door open, ramp sparking, and me partially fastened in my wheelchair not knowing what to think.
I eventually managed to free myself and get out when he eventually stopped moving the vehicle. Then he quickly folded the wheelchair ramp back into the wheelchair, slammed the door and sped away at a fast pace, all the while still hollering to his office.
Bleeding and Crying
At this point I was in tears bleeding all over. When trying to unsecure the wheelchair, I somehow gashed my hand open on something sharp. I am not entirely what it was, but there I was bleeding all over. The kind person who had been trying to get out of the parking space was in disbelief. They gave me some paper towels and I was able to stop the bleeding.
Shortly after, the second transport company they had called because it looked like this one wasn’t coming back, showed up. The difference was night and day.
Missed Appointment With Pain Specialist
Today, I missed another appointment with my pain specialist because the ride did not arrive in time to get me to my appointment. I had a 10:00 am appointment that required a 30-minute ride to the doctor’s office. I called a little after 9:00 am to inquire about the estimated time of arrival (ETA) for the ride.
They tell you to be ready one hour before your scheduled appointment time, plus or minus 15 minutes. That’s for appointments that are not far away, like today’s. The operator said she would call to check their location and then returned to the line to say that they would be here in about 10 minutes. Fifteen minutes had passed, and there was still no driver. I called again, informing them that it was a 30-minute ride.
They Will Call You
They assured me that they would contact the transport company and put me on hold. After a while, when she returned to the line, she informed me that the company would be calling me. A few minutes later, someone from the transport company called and said that someone would be with me in 10 minutes. I started to tell them that it was cutting it close and that it was a thirty-minute drive, but the person hung up the phone mid-sentence. Great!
I called my doctor’s office to explain the situation and ask if they could still see me, even if I was late (which was looking increasingly likely). The office is very understanding and accommodating. They are aware of the transportation issues, but they were very busy today, she said. “He will still see you if you can make it here by ten minutes after ten, but we won’t be able to see you any later.”
15 minutes had passed, and it was now 9:40 AM. Even if they had picked me up right then, it would have been too late for me to make my appointment on time. My health aid checked the directions and driving time on Google to be sure. But it wasn’t going to happen. I called the insurance transport line and informed them that they were still not here and that I would now need to cancel.
Talk To Dispatch
She said I couldn’t do that, and that I had to talk to dispatch. Another cold transfer, and start all over again with everything that had happened and been said. Very frustrating. The lady at dispatch assured me that I did not need to cancel with dispatch. She literally said, “That’s a lie!”
I called the Doctor’s office to reschedule, it was already 10:00 am. Then right before I called the insurance company to tell them what happened and reschedule the ride, the transportation company called. The time was exactly 10:03 at that point. I told the person I had to cancel my appointment and was explaining the driving time to get there, and the Doctor could not see me now…… but, they hung up on me again whilst I was trying to explain what happened!
Three Missed Appointments
This is the third appointment with my pain specialist that I have missed because transportation did not show up. If the office wanted to enforce their policy, they could have reasonably discharged me from the practice or started charging me $50.00 as no-show fees. If you are going to continually miss appointments with a doctor, you don’t want it to be with the one who prescribes you your controlled pain medication.
It might appear as if you were playing games with them, perhaps because you were scared of failing a drug test, so you fabricated excuses to avoid attending your appointment. Obviously, that is not true, and thankfully they are very understanding. It is just luck that I have enough pain medication to last until next Thursday, when my rescheduled appointment is.
I have lost track of the number of appointments I have missed because either no one showed up or they got me to my appointment too late to be seen.
I have missed many appointments because my transportation either did not show up or arrived too late for me to make it on time.
Special Number to Call
Now, after today’s experience, I have a special number to call for future rides! The problem is that when you try to request a specific transportation provider, even if they say they will send the one you requested or have added notations to your account so that you won’t get a certain company again, they just send whoever they want.
There are a couple of good companies that have clean, well-maintained vehicles and drive safely. They also secure your wheelchair, arrive on time, and are polite, professional, courteous, and kind, making you feel like a human rather than an inanimate object. However, when you request that company, they never send them!
No Way to Get Home
They will often make you wait for hours after your appointment has ended before picking you up to go home. I was even left stranded at an appointment once, with no way to get home. It was sheer luck that I called my health aide, as she had already left for the day. Fortunately, she came and picked me up. I would have so many more stories, if only I could remember them.
Having Memory Problems Is a Blessing
This is one of those occasions when having a brain injury and memory problems is a blessing. I truly mean that too. There have been so many problems. So today, I am grateful for memory problems. It sounds a little odd, but with the luck I have, I am actually glad that I forget sometimes.
But then the opposite side to that, is the things you wish you could forget, remind you are there, alive and well at 3:00 am in the morning. But that, my friends, is another tale!
What Are You Grateful for Today?
What are you grateful for today? Let me know in the comments, along with any content or topics you would like me to talk about. As always, thank you for watching. I love you all! I hope you enjoyed today’s content. See you tomorrow, and remember: TAKE CARE OF YOUR MIND