Tuesday, July 20, 2010

FCOL

In my Health Care plan's list of eligible expenses for Medical Spending Reimbursement, it lists "Laser eye surgery". Yet I just got a rejection from the company saying "Lasik" isn't covered. Perhaps if I re-submit and call it "laser eye surgery"? Seriously? Do I need to fight this fight to get my own money back for something they say they cover?  It's that or figure out some really expensive medical need in the next couple months.

Here's the relevant section of the list:
  • Hospital bills
  • Hypnosis for treatment of an illness
  • Laboratory fees
  • Laetrile by prescription
  • Laser surgery for the eyes
  • Lead-base paint removal (for children with lead poisoning)
  • Life fee to retirement home for medical care
  • Lip-reading lessons

What part of Lasik=Laser Eye surgery are they not getting? I may have to poke my newly surgerized eye out with a stick.

UPDATE 21July2010 9:20
After 14 minutes and 22 seconds on the phone with Tiffany, who knew that (a) LASIK is "Laser Eye Surgery" and (b) that they cover it, she and her manager unearthed my fax, made sure the form was filled out correctly, and will reprocess the claim and cut me a check.  Whew!  Now I don't have to manufacture a new, expensive medical issue or fight with the bureaucrats to get my money back.

2 comments:

S said...

Glad they were able to sort your claim out by phone, even if it did take a little while. My FSA plan seems incapable of processing any orthodontia claim properly without follow-up phone calls, which is especially annoying since I will be putting in similar claims for the exact same monthly amount 22 times over the next couple years.

CrankyOtter said...

I swear, half the cost of health care is in people whose jobs exist to deny you rightful claims - even when it's your own money. Ugh. Seriously, aren't these people trained professionals? Everyone - EVERYONE - knows that orthodontia is a reimburseable expense. Is there some sort of "code" word you need to write on the form to make sure it goes through the first time?

And to her credit, Tiffany knew within 30 seconds that LASIK was a reimbursable expense, it just took nearly 15 min for her manager to pull up the physical copy (faxed in) and review it to make sure I had all the items filled out so she could cut the check. But again, it's time I shouldn't have had to spend. Good luck with those 22 claims. Maybe save them up and do them quarterly...