[minkajane]

I have military insurance. I did a search on Tricare's website for circumcision, and found on THREE different pages statements that RIC is covered. Who can I complain to? You'd think with all the hassle I get for referrals and seeing people outside the base hospital, they'd want to save money any way they can.

They do circs on base too, in the hospital. Both RIC and older infant/child circs. I doubt there's much I could do to change the fact that they do older circs because they claim they're medically necessary (tried to convince me to circ my 18-month-old for a yeast infection) but there's got to be someone I can talk to about the RIC. It's absolutely ridiculous that they're funding cosmetic surgery on newborns when that money could be spent elsewhere.

 

[Ivan's Mom]

I am in the process of doing the same thing with our health insurance. I am writing to the claims address. That is what customer service said I should do.

 

[Telle Bear]

As well as trying to change the insurance, I went to my hospital and asked if they would be willing to show the circ video during child prep classes!! They said yes!!This only just happened yesterday, I feel like when people see the vidoe they may rethink things.
Just an idea that could possibly happen while trying to talk to the insurance companies.
I have not contacted my insurance and to be honest I don't even know if they cover it. Would one of you sent me a copy of the letter you are sending so I could get an idea where to start. Thanks

 

[kldliam]

Quote:

I went to my hospital and asked if they would be willing to show the circ video during child prep classes!! They said yes!!

BIG SCORE!!!

Quote:

Would one of you sent me a copy of the letter you are sending so I could get an idea where to start. Thanks

this is a project I am working on right now. i will send you my letters. I am writing to the top 10 HMO's in the country (quarterly) to urge them to defund circ. They will save so much money. I certainly do need help too. Thanks. PM me.

 

[Revamp]

How?

With difficulty that is how: it seems that many companies simply fear that if they stop people will just use others that do provide it. However it seems that they are aware of the money which they could save from it so if one went and there was no influx then there is a chance that others might stop to.

Like the domino effect apart from without a war.

 

[minkajane]

Klidliam, can I see those letters too?

 

[Telle Bear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revamp How? With difficulty that is how: it seems that many companies simply fear that if they stop people will just use others that do provide it. However it seems that they are aware of the money which they could save from it so if one went and there was no influx then there is a chance that others might stop to. Like the domino effect apart from without a war.

I know this makes me sound awful, but I doubt people will even realize what their insurance even covers, until they need it. In other words, I doubt people will even bother to check when getting their insurance and then will probably not switch while they are pregnant...We are talking about people who are making uneducated desicions about their childs bodies, you really think these people are doing research about their insurance??

 

[Telle Bear]

BIG SCORE!!!

this is a project I am working on right now. i will send you my letters. I am writing to the top 10 HMO's in the country (quarterly) to urge them to defund circ.

what are the top 10..

 

[kldliam]

Quote:

I know this makes me sound awful, but I doubt people will even realize what their insurance even covers, until they need it.

Exactly. Who is really going to inquire about it anyway?
"Will you cover my kid's circ?" I think that it is just assumed at this stage in the game. How about these folks pay for it out of their OWN POCKET and save the rest of the non-circing culture (47% of us) a little on our insurance premiums??

Even when the cutting culture finds out it isn't covered anymore...are they really going to drop their insurance provider over this one issue? There are atleast 25 things I hate about my HMO...which one should I drop it over?? It's still the cheapest provider i can find.

 

[PuppyFluffer]

But if a medical office participates with an insurance carrier that does not circ, don't you think the medical office would inform the parent that their carrier doesn't cover circ?

It seems that I have seen that mentioned here before in regards to an OB office where they had a form to sign if you were having a boy that said you were aware that coverage of circ was not offered and that it had to be paid out of pocket if desired.

 

[kldliam]

Quote:

Puppy Fluffer says: But if a medical office participates with an insurance carrier that does not circ, don't you think the medical office would inform the parent that their carrier doesn't cover circ?

Perhaps. But again, will they actually drop their provider altogether based solely on the fact that circ isn't covered?

Surely many will have to think twice about it when they are told that it is not medically necessary and therefore not covered.

 

[Fi.]

Quote:

don't you think the medical office would inform the parent that their carrier doesn't cover circ?

Some don't tell you until you get the bill and WTF at it

 

[minkajane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fi. Some don't tell you until you get the bill and WTF at it

I think that's the way it is most of the time - unless the issue comes up a lot, the doctor or hospital is not going to know what procedures/treatments/whatever your specific insurance covers. There are just too many insurance companies for them to know things like that.

 

[kldliam]

These are the insurance companies I am writing to (in no particular order):

1. PacifiCare
2. Tufts Health Plan
3. BC/BS
4. Cigna
5. Kaiser Permanente
6. Aetna
7. Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
8. Humana
9. United Healthcare
10. Sharp
11. Preferred Care
12. Prudential
13. Healthnet
14. US Healthcare
15. Oxford health Plan

My letter to the HMO is in Word format and has a chart that I can not include here. I am also sending them a copy of the AAP Policy Statement on Circ. Write to me privately at: [email protected]. We can divy these HMO's up and keep pounding them every 3-6 months. Thanks.

 

[InDaPhunk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuppyFluffer But if a medical office participates with an insurance carrier that does not circ, don't you think the medical office would inform the parent that their carrier doesn't cover circ? It seems that I have seen that mentioned here before in regards to an OB office where they had a form to sign if you were having a boy that said you were aware that coverage of circ was not offered and that it had to be paid out of pocket if desired.

Yes, that was me and here's the thread:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...rcumcision+pay