Ted Rall, uExpress, September 24, 2009
NEW YORK–I got swine flu. Five days later, I was at death’s door–because my evil insurance company wouldn’t honor my doctor’s prescription. Memo to future revolutionaries: if you require a firing squad for the executives of the Health Insurance Plan (HIP) of New York, I’m handy with a rifle.
I wasn’t worried at first. A little sneezing, slightly achy joints. I figured it was my usual bout of fall allergies. There’s usually nothing to do but suffer. But I felt worse each day: achier, more congested, stiffer, headache, fevers. The third night was bad. I went to bed under a pile of comforters, chattering uncontrollably. Then nightsweats. I checked my temperature: 103.7. When your temperature looks like a classic rock station, it’s time to see the doctor.
I’ve known my general practitioner for decades. So I pay out-of-pocket to see him even though he’s not on HIP’s list of plan-approved doctors. Hey, what do you expect for $749.01 a month?
My ordeal with the insurance company began when I went to fill my prescription for Tamiflu, an antiviral medication that is widely considered the standard treatment for swine (and other types of) flu.
“Your insurance isn’t going to cover this,” the pharmacist said. “You would need a pre-approval from your doctor.”
“But that’s a prescription,” I said, motioning to the white slip of paper in her hand. For younger readers, I come from a generation when a doctor’s prescription was all you needed to get a medication.
“It’s not going to work,” she said, slowing her speech for emphasis. “This drug is for people who have the flu.”
“Um…I have the flu.”
“You have the flu?” She looked shocked.
Because Tamiflu or another drug called Relenza can significantly reduce flu symptoms if taken less than 48 hours after the onset of symptoms, people have been hoarding and taking anti-viral drugs prophylactically–especially in New York City. Given what was about to happen to me, I admire the hoarders. Smart.
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.