I had my post-op on Monday, and while I understand it’s purpose, we probably didn’t need the appointment. I was there for 5 minutes – she checked my incision sites and asked how I was feeling.
Fucking excellent. Happier than I realized I would be. Relieved.
Awesome, all done. I’ll see you for your annual this fall.
It was underwhelming to say the least, but again I know why these appointments are necessary. I just wish there had been an option for video call since there were no complications and the post-op nerve pain is gone.
But here’s the real update – insurance.
I received my EOB and a bill from my doctors office. The EOB is your explanation of benefits from your insurance. It shows the fee for service, the negotiated rate and what your insurance will cover, and what you owe.
Below is a screen shot of the bill from my doctors office.
You can see that my surgery was going to be $40,788.54. HOLY SHIT. My insurance covered $35,912.90. Also, holy shit. Now covered isn’t really the right word. Much of this was a much lower negotiated rate, which means that the insurance company dictates what they will pay for and the doctor’s office accepts that (not always happily though). This is the part of the complications and bullshit of insurance coverage and costs associated with healthcare.
If you remember, I was told that with my policy, this would be 100% covered. So, is that true? Did the person I spoke with at Blue Cross understand my specific policy when I called – they put me on hold to review, but that doesn’t mean they read my policy correctly.
There are steps to take to determine if it’s eligible for full coverage. The first is submitting a claim with the aim that the rest is covered as I was told it was.
Ultimately, If it’s not covered at 100%, I do have a savings that I can use. I recognize the privilege of this and know that many Americans wouldn’t be able to have that option. I also think we shouldn’t have to use resources like that to have something like this covered.
Sterilization is birth control.
