Lantis02
1815
61
4
I've been dealing with back pain for months and eventually got to a point where couldn't handle it anymore. I went to a chiropractor who after doing a full spinal x-ray found out my spine is misaligned. Fortunately, he believes he can fix it over the course of about 36 sessions and I won't need back surgery.
The doctor looked into my insurance even before talking about this and found out that my insurance only covers 12 chiropractic visits per year and the rest would be out of pocket. But my policy does have 30 physical therapy visits per year. I talked to my HR rep at work and they said they can't do anything due to HIPPA restrictions and I had to call them myself. So I did, and they told me they will not give me any more than the 12 days and they won't allow the chiropractor to bill for physical therapy.
I talked to HR again afterwards, and conveniently we had a BCBS rep on site for a "Health and Wellness" fair that is happening on site today and told me I should speak to our representative. So I went down to speak with her and she told me the same thing. She said I could appeal, but that is destined to fail. The only other option she provided is to push to have the back surgery instead...
I'm frustrated and angry at my country and our shitty healthcare system where it is abundantly clear they don't give a shit about my health at all. It's a business that cares first and foremost about maximizing profit and minimizing cost my health be damned.
TLDR:
Healthcare sucks. Insurance refuses to pay for correcting my spine. Going to cost thousands out of pocket. Literally nothing I can do.
buzkilljoy
In America we just die
SomeDetroitGuy
The problem is that chiropractic isn't health care. It's scammers and quacks.
newfoundhero
An option albeit a shitty one is to get a 2nd job solely for the insurance coverage. I hope you can get some relief finally!
TheChunguskaEvent
Get a second opinion from an orthopedic spine MD. Chiropractor coverage is hard because there's a bunch of quacks and scammers.
Exyr
Find a PT thats a chiropractor?
SomeDetroitGuy
Or just find a physical therapist who is a physical therapist and not a quack selling pseudo-science bullshit?
Mualainen
Well.. Finland has "free" healthcare etc. but the doctors just gave me painkillers for a year until I couldn't walk anymore 1/
Mualainen
then they gave me stronger painkillers and told me to be patient and wait for my back to heal :) ffs
Mualainen
"Free healthcare" covers only very basic things.
DirigoTuSequere
I feel your pain, @op. in 2018 my neurosurgeon had to fight BCBS himself. I needed neck surgery because a bulging disc in my neck was 1/?
DirigoTuSequere
about to paralyze me, and BCBS tried to tell me they wouldn't pay for surgery unless I went to PT first, even though that would 2/?
DirigoTuSequere
proveably make it worse. It was a huge ordeal. I eventually was able to get it sorted, but it took months of seriously infuriating 3/?
DirigoTuSequere
frustration, on top of all the pain that was happening at the time. Best of luck to you! 4/4