by Focus
© 1999 Focus, all rights reserved
"Mom, my back still hurts! You've gotta find us a new chiropractor - it has been over a year since our old one moved away!"
I know she is right. I've been putting that off, hoping we wouldn't really need a chiropractor, I guess. But my daughter's back hurts, and I am out of alignment too. Can't put it off any longer.
I start looking for the telephone book. I look where it belongs. There I find three old Stockton telephone books, but none for Lodi. I look on the dining room table, on the coffee table, on the desk in the office, by each phone. Eventually I find the thing - on the floor under a chair. There is something else I've been putting off: housecleaning.
I look up the school district office number, and find a dozen different numbers. I narrow the choices down to the one I want: Employee Benefits. I dial the number.
Immediately I get put on hold. Finally the woman comes back to me, and I begin to tell her what I want. "Excuse me," she says, and puts me on hold again. The district's choice of telephone music is typically conservative.
Finally the woman comes back. "I need to know what chiropractors are covered by my insurance," I tell her.
"Do you have Kaiser, BlueCross PPO, or BlueCross HMO?"
"BlueCross HMO."
"I don't have a list of chiropractors, but I can give you the insurance company's phone number." She does.
I dial the insurance company. "You have reached the BlueCross automated customer service telephone line. This service is in operation Monday through Friday, from 8am till 10pm Eastern Time, and on Saturdays from 8am till 4pm. If you are calling to inquire about purchasing insurance, press 1. If you already have insurance coverage with BlueCross, press 2." I listen to the spiel and press the correct buttons 3 or 4 times. I punch in my group number and my policy number.
Finally I reach a live person. She immediately puts me on hold. But in a few seconds she comes back to me, and I get to ask my question: "I need to know what chiropractors are covered by my insurance."
She doesn't know the answer either. I am incredulous, but she explains that the insurance company negociates a contract with a chiropractic association, and whoever belongs to that association is covered by my policy. She gives me the number of the chiropractic association, and reminds me that there will be a $10.oo co-pay.
Wearily I call the chiropractic association. Immediately I am put on hold. Finally a real person speaks to me. I give her my insurance information. I ask my question: "I need to know what chiropractors are covered by my insurance."
"What city do you want to look in?" she asks. I tell her, and she reads to me the names and numbers of all 4 chiropractors in Lodi covered by insurance. Hooray!
The next step is to make an appointment. I call the first name on my list. The secretary answers the phone, and immediately puts me on hold. Soon she comes back, and takes all my info - insurance, age, occupation, chiropractic problems. I'm feeling good about this. Then she tells me when appointments are available - between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. Ack!!! Since my workday generally begins at 6:35 a.m., and doesn't end until 2:35 p.m., I think it would be rather difficult to schedule appointments.
So I call the second chiropractor on my list. Wonder of wonders! Miracle of miracles! I am NOT put on hold! I make an appointment for my daughter and myself, for the next day.
I put the phone down with relief.
My eyes avoid the pile of bills on my desk. Perhaps if I ignore them a while longer, they will go away?
Perhaps not.