Barriers Between Doctor and Patient

I am 100% opposed to Obamacare. A free market solution to the problems in the healthcare system is the only one that would be fair, effective, and long-lasting.

But the Republican Party has had its chance to fix it and they decided not to. First, they did not attempt to fix healthcare from 2000 to 2008 when they were in the White House. They were too busy spreading democracy around the world. In fact, they compounded the healthcare problem by passing an entitlement program called Medicare Part D in 2003. This is a government prescription insurance program that was not paid for in the budget. And now they deny there is any problem with our current healthcare system. "It's the best in the world! Nothing's wrong!" One of the fears Republicans have is a government bureaucrat standing between you and your doctor. But our current access to doctors is not without its obstacles.

I recently moved back to Massachusetts where I got a new job and a new health insurance plan. It has been a while since I have been in the area so I needed to get a new doctor and get a physical. Simple, right? Wrong.

I haven't gotten my ID card yet, and I was not sure which doctors at the Newton-Wellesley Medical Center were in the network with my CIGNA plan. So I had to go through these steps on multiple days of my work week, and I still have not been able to make an appointment. If you don't want to read the list line by line, you'll get the idea pretty quickly.

Step 1. Find out which doctors at the practice take the plan. I called up the doctor's office to see which doctors took my health plan. They said I had to ask my insurance compnay. The receptionist gave me a tax ID for the facility and then told me to call CIGNA.

Step 2. I called CIGNA to find out which doctors at the facility were in the network. The CIGNA customer service rep said he couldn't search by practice, and that he had to search by a doctor's name. I didn't have a list of the doctors so I had to call back later and give them four random doctor's names I got when calling back the Newton-Wellesley Medical Center. I found out that one doctor from that random four was in the network.

Step 3. When I called the doctor's office back they say that doctor is not taking new patients! Then they give me the only two who were taking new patients. I then had to call CIGNA back to find out about those two.

Step 4. CIGNA told me that one of the two is in the network. SWEET! I could finally schedule my physical. (I'm doing all this calling on my breaks since I have been working 8am-5pm M-F).

Step 5. The doctor's office was glad to hear that the one doctor was in the network. They took my SSN, DOB, Name, Address, Phone. Then they asked, "Your CIGNA policy number?" I told them I haven't gotten my card yet so I didn't know my number. The receptionist said she could not schedule me without my insurance information. I asked her "What happens if people don't have insurance?" She said they are scheduled in as self-pay. So I asked her to put me in as self-pay then I'd show my card when I get there or call her back when I got my ID cards. She said she couldn't schedule me that way so I asked to speak with the manager.

Step 6. Transferred to the manager who was not in. On the voicemail I left my name and number twice, very slowly, then said I just wanted to schedule an appointment. I said why does a person have to present all this information up front? I haven't gotten my card yet and I wasn't going to be coming to the office for a whole month. I could call back before that to give my ID number. Well, she never called back.

Step 7. Called CIGNA back and gave them my SSN, DOB, Name, Address. Then they said they could not tell my my ID number for privacy reasons, but that they would request a new card be sent to my house in 7 business days. Then they gave me an account number I could give to the doctor's office for me to temporarily get an appointment scheduled.

Step 8. Well, I have not called the doctor's office back because I have a feeling that this account number will not be good enough for them to pencil me in.

Why all these barriers? What is going on here? Can't I as a customer purchase a service that is keeping the facility in business? Whether I have insurance or not shouldn't matter! I will have to pay somehow!

And based on my experience with health plans and doctor's offices, once I go for my physical, I will have to wait a long time, be seen mostly by a nurse, then they will lose whatever samples I leave, then they won't call me back with the results, then they will bill me for the copay I paid at the time of the visit.

Listen up Republicans - if it's not the premiums people are complaining about with our current system it's the cumbersome process everyone has to go through just to get a service they are paying for. At least admit there' s a problem with the system, and don't just try to kill the current bill. You can do both at the same time.