Wrangling Insurance

Well, I found Dr. Wonderful. He's amazing. He's opening a birth center that will be freestanding but have an OR so he can do C-sections, he's all for VBACs and has a pretty high success rate, and he just radiates confidence and concern. So he's super.

I need to change my PCP to go to him. Actually, I need to change my PCP so I can see his partner when he's off delivering and is missing prenatal appointments. So I call the insurance company yesterday to do this.

I talk to Jack for a very long time. Jack explains that I don't need to change my PCP and that I should explain that to Dr. Wonderful's office. (Dr. Wonderful's office is pretty clear that I do need to change my PCP.) Jack also says that any changes to my PCP will only take effect June 1st unless I get a supervisor to backdate it, which is only done for medical necessity. Having Dr. Wonderful as my doctor is not a medical necessity according to Jack.

I'm worried, irritated, frustrated. I don't want to get stuck with the closest OBGYN because, quite frankly, some of them sounded awful over the phone and I have to spend a lot of time with them and their office staff.

But I'm calm. I call this morning. I ask to change my PCP, I ask to have it backdated. I ask for a supervisor. I get a nice one. I explain that I'm going to be ten weeks pregnant tomorrow but haven't been to see an OBGYN yet and I really need to get a gestational age and nuchal fold diagnostic ultrasound soon. Could they please backdate my PCP change to May 1st so I could get my tests done in a timely fashion?

I'm so glad I got a nice one. Is it sexist to think that a woman supervisor is more sympathetic to the OBGYN choice issue than a man is?

The supervisor bends the rules and changes it, since we're on a timeline. She is so sweet and helpful and I just can't stand it.

I get off the phone and call my PCP's registration office to make sure my PCP's been changed and backdated. Yes, yes, everything's super.

So now we're set for maternity care with Dr. Wonderful. Yay!