Representative
#2 : “I’m not showing anything like that but we can ship– Oh, wait. There’s a hold on your account for unpaid copays.”
Me: “Unpaid copays? I’ve never received a bill.”
Representative
#2 : “You should have received… two.”
Me: “I don’t think I did. Why was I not told of this hold when I called two days ago?”
(I open my online account to see past bills. There is nothing.)
Representative
#2 : “I’m not sure, ma’am. I only see a bill for $243 that needs to be paid.”
Me: “I’m confused. I’ve met my out of pocket deductibles. What is the bill for?”
Representative
#2 : “One moment, I can look that up for you.” *hold music* “I’m sorry, ma’am, I’m having trouble finding the specific bill.”
Me: “…”
Representative
#2 : “…”
Me: “So… what now?”
Representative
#2 : “If you want to pay in full, I can have your order shipped as early as tomorrow.”
Me: “Um… I don’t even know why I’m paying.”
Representative
#2 : “They’re unpaid copays.”
Me: “I’m looking at my online account and there’s nothing like that. How do I suddenly owe that much money?”
Representative
#2 : “Oh. Um. Hold, please.” *hold music* “Thank you for holding, ma’am. My supervisor is looking into this further. Unfortunately, we cannot authorize your medications until you pay your balance. I can take your credit card info—“
Me: “I’m not paying anything until I have an itemized bill.”
Representative
#2 : *huffs* “Hold.” *hold music* “Okay, ma’am, I’ve talked with my supervisor. Your balance is $243. Will that be card or check?”
Me: “That will be nothing until you tell me why I’m paying.”
Representative
#2 : *huffs again* “Ma’am. I am trying to work with you here. You owe copays. We cannot fill your prescriptions until you pay in full.”
Me: “And I will happily pay as soon as someone can tell me why I’m paying. I’m looking at my history right now. Not only is there nothing with a copay for the past six months, but all other bills are marked as paid.”
Representative
#2 : *clearly annoyed* “Would you like to speak to my supervisor, ma’am?”
Me: “Yes, I would.”
(Hold music.)
Supervisor: “Hello, [My Name]? I’m told you would like to speak to a supervisor. I’m [Supervisor].”
Me: “Yes, thank you. I called almost two weeks ago to have meds delivered. There was a miscommunication and they were not delivered. I called two days ago to have the same meds delivered as of yesterday, but they weren’t. I called today and found that I owe money and [Insurance Company] is withholding my medications until I pay. Nothing in my records shows any unpaid copay, so please tell me what is going on here.”
Supervisor: “I apologize for the inconvenience. Please be patient with me while I look into this further. Can I put you on hold?”
Me: *thinly veiled annoyance* “Yes.”
Supervisor: “Thank you.” *hold music* “Hmm. Ma’am, I apologize. I see the bill, but I’m not finding anything that it could be linked to. Unfortunately, I cannot authorize your prescription to be refilled until this bill is paid.”
Me: “Let me get this straight: your records show that I owe money. Yes?”
Supervisor: “Yes.”
Me: “You will not send my medication until I pay this bill. Correct?”
Supervisor: *uneasy* “Correct…”
Me: “But when I ask why you want me to pay, no one can tell me why. Am I wrong?”
Supervisor: “No, ma’am, you are not wrong.”
Me: “Can you see why I’m annoyed?”
Supervisor: “Yes. Please let me put you on hold one last time.”
Me: “No.”