The winds they are a changin'

YAY! So Valerie - the super nice outpatient scheduler referred me to Marcia - the pre-cert supervisor. I called - and got voicemail. I left a rather rambling & sad message for poor Marcia. She called back rather quickly. And said that their department faxed the clinical information for pre-auth to the insurance company on Friday. And that it would take 24-48 business hours for approval. Great, I explained that I scheduled this last Tuesday for this Monday knowing that it would take 48 hours for approval - and that I need this MRI for my epidural steroid injection tomorrow. So now I'd have to wait another week in pain.

That did it. Marcia told me that if I came in for the MRI today that they would not turn me away. I said that was great, but I couldn't commit myself to eating the cost of a MRI if for some reason the insurance didn't come through. That's when she said it....that all I would be responsible for was my plan copay. And I reiterated, "So you're saying that if, for some reason, insurance fails to pay for this MRI that I will be responsible for is my $150 copay?". That's what she was saying. Score! So now I'm off for my MRI in about 25 minutes. Not looking forward to lying on the hard table for almost an hour. But I'll live......