Insurance Companies Killing Off Baby Boomers

During a recent visit with my cardiologist, she recommended I have an echocardiogram to see how my heart is functioning.

For those of you who aren't aware, I have been living with congestive heart failure since 1999. Although I believe my health has improved with a change in diet, medication and exercise, an echocardiogram is necessary to make sure. An echocardiogram uses sound waves to produce images of your heart. This commonly used test allows your doctor to see how your heart is beating and pumping blood. Your doctor can use the images from an echocardiogram to identify various abnormalities in the heart muscle and valves.

Now one would think an insurance company would be delighted to have a patient undergo such a test because good results can mean LESS DEPENDENCE on the company. But NOOOOOOOOOOOOO---my insurance company, Anthem, has denied the test. First, they said it was denied because the request did not come from my primary care physician, which makes no sense to me since she does not treat me for heart disease. But then, after my primary doctor sent over my medical records, I was denied again because the company said I was the one who had to give permission for any records to be released.

I think I can understand the need for the insurance company to see my medical records to make sure they're not being ripped off by paying thousands of dollars for an unnecessary test but requiring my signature to have them released is RIDICULOUS. Call me on the phone and ask my permission. Instead, they sent some paperwork for me to complete to give them a medical history---which is making me duplicate a job already done by both of my doctors.

I'm of the opinion that Anthem Insurance doesn't give a damn about whether I get better or not, which doesn't make any sense because the longer I go without that echocardiogram means I will be sucking them dry with medical expenses.

Perhaps this is an insurance company's way of killing off the baby boomers.