i'm sorry, what was that?

*warning: language

part 1

while i was checking out @ my annual, the nurse asked me if i'd like her to call my insurance company & ask what my "infertility care" benefits were. knowing they probably weren't great , i decided why not, i'll spare myself the frustration. right?

wrong.

i received a letter in the mail from my dr's office about a week later. here's a summary:

"...we were told you have limited benefits and are not fully covered for infertility treatment....Excluded services will include IUI's, sperm wash and HCG injections."

it gets better...

"These charges (see above) must be paid at the time of your visit and will be discounted 20%. To assist you in planning, we have enclosed a fee schedule."

forget frustration! i was (am) livid! so, what better thing to do when you are livid and your eyes are popping out of your head but call the insurance company? oh what a lucky day it was for the rep on the other end of the line. this was our conversation:

me: i just got a disturbing letter from my OBGYN's office. i have a couple of questions regarding my "infertility care."

rep: ok. what can i help you with?

me: all of it.

rep: i'm sorry?

me: i want a full explanation as to why you don't cover anything other than the diagnosis of infertility. please explain my coverage, or lack thereof, for fertility drugs and treatment.

rep: well, we do cover the drugs....as long as they're not used directly prior to and to aid an IUI or IVF.

me: what? you'll cover them as long as i don't use them for IUI or IVF?

rep: yes.

me: and why don't you cover IUI or IVF?

wait for it...

rep: because both are considered experimental.

me: you're shitting me?

rep: i'm sorry. what was that?

me: you've got to be SHITTING me!?! ((( EXPERIFUCKINGMENTAL?))) in 1978, the first successful IVF baby was born but IVF history goes back further and even further is when the first IUI was performed (see here). so you tell me? how the hell can IVF and IUI still be classified as "experimental"?

rep: i can't answer that ma'am. but our coverage changes annually; feel free to call back to see if it's been updated. i'm truly sorry ma'am.

me: yea, me too.

********************************

part 2

i've been slowly compiling research on infertility. i've read that 1 in 6 couples are infertile. ONE in SIX. that means there is someone in your life who is infertile. that means this is not an uncommon diagonsis. that means this isn't some obsure condition. what that means is that infertility treatment needs to be mandated and insurance companies need to be forced to offer coverage just like any other medical condition!

shortly after i had that conversation with my insurance company, i was reading Infertility Diaries, a blog on Redbook's website, written by Jen from Maybe If You Just Relax. Jen did a post about the lack of coverage for infertility treatments. Jen is very lucky in that she does have some coverage. Here's an excerpt that thru me for a little loop-de-loop & gave me whiplash:

So imagine my surprise when I get my explanation of benefits...
Total Charges for IVF #1: $14,650
Total Paid by Insurance: $4,750
Total Patient Responsibility: $350

are you reading that correctly? do you see that? do you see that for ME, an infertile without coverage, i would have to pay upwards of 15G's for ONE cycle of IVF. but those motherf'ers...i mean, insurance companies, only have to pay $5K?

oh, yea. i'm bending over alright. assholes.

but being the person that i am, i look to the brighter side of things. i like to think of life as a glass half full...which is why i'm ever-so-thankful that my OBGYN has offered to give me a 20% discount.

@@

to be continued....yes, there's more.

mini-update

spent the yesterday/night in the ER w/ the captain. some sort of "strange bug". horrible symptoms. poor guy; can't catch a break. he's home recovering.

currently on cd26. no signs of AF...no back pain, no leg pain, no cramping. all of this to say, i'm not expecting to be pregnant....

also got an update regarding my insurance and infertility coverage...post coming. oh yes, you should indeed check back.

going to catch up on some work...will bbl to post more.

uno libre

i can't remember if i mentioned that my brother, j , was staying with us. he's 12. yes, twelve. yes, we are 16 yrs apart. i know, i've wondered what my mom was thinking, too! haha.

a few weeks ago, he told the captain that one of his friends calls him "Uno" b/c of his unibrow. well, for those of you who know the captain, you know that was j's biggest mistake! it didn't take long for the teasing to start. for the past year or so, i'd been begging j to let me take him and get that thing waxed...but he would never give in. until i started calling him Uno Libre. yep, j had become Uno Libre (& you have to say it with flare "Unnnoooooo Leeebre" - don't forget to roll that "r"). as you can imagine...well, if you know us IRL, you can imagine...that this running joke was non-stop. poor j. i kinda felt bad. kinda. ok, not really. he is my brother after all and therefore, he deserves the same treatment as any other sibling....a bit of ribbing!

he finally asked me to take him to get the uni waxed. but we ran out of time. and i felt bad that he returned home yesterday with all that hair. until i got a call from j....

"Uno Libre is no longer!"

he asked mom to stop on the way home to get waxed...she did...and he's so happy.

too bad he doesn't yet realize that Uno Libre can't be held down.

long live the uni!

;)

some things, i'll never understand

sometimes i wonder if being IF has made me so bitter that even the little things about having a baby can potentially annoy me.

a good friend (who does not know of this blog) of ours is having a baby girl soon. we are thrilled for them! i pulled up their registry and about half way thru it, i noticed a trend. everything and anything that had a color option was PINK. i don't mean a few items....i mean EVERYTHING...bedding, trashcan, pillows, clothes, socks, wall art, car seat stuff, highchair cover, bouncer and saucer (hot pink!)....even pink burp cloths!?!?!?!

i nearly puked.

seriously? this is the 2nd time i've seen this. wth?

still feeling defiant, i got lil' miss some yellow and green things. i know she'll thank me later.

silent defiance

oh yes, i did.

*i couldn't get the pic i took to load, so i found this almost identical sign for the post

good & bad news

we'll start w/ the bad news....

bad news: dr called w/ my lab results. neh. PAP was completely normal, yay! all other labs - not good. my cholesterol is totally out-of-whack...i'm not even going to post the numbers b/c it's just shameful. bah. and my glucose? my glucose is out of range, too! too high...which is weird b/c i've changed my diet and i'm on the met, so i thought that'd help. i dunno. my dr is going to call my "regular" dr and confer...i think i'll retest in 3mo.

gOoD nEwS: i'm fairly certain i ovulated yesterday, cd13. i felt a twinge most of the evening on my lower right side. nothing too painful but just enough discomfort to notice. i am beyond thrilled. this is the first time EVER i've felt ovulation. teehee. doesn't take much to excite me!

29

august 2

1876 Wild Bill Hickok was murdered in Deadwood, S.D.

1909 The first Lincoln penny was issued.

1923 Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the United States, died in San Francisco.

1943 PT-109, a torpedo boat commanded by Lt. John F. Kennedy, was sunk off the Solomon Islands by a Japanese destroyer.

1945 The Potsdam Conference, in which Allied leaders planned the postwar governance of Germany, ended.

1990 The Persian Gulf War broke out when Iraq invaded Kuwait.

1979 at 6:42pm, the world was graced with a baby girl named dana