Insurance Companies

Excuse me for the following statement (Mama, if you read this, skip to next paragraph): Health Insurance companies gripe my FAT a**!

Over the past year or so, I have been one of the 47 million people that are uninsured in the U.S. At the beginning of last year, I was still a college student and thought that I was still insured on my parent's policy. Later in the year, I went to the doctor and found out that I was no longer on their policy. Ok. That's fine. No biggy. So I just went without health insurance. I went to the doctor for strep throat. It cost about $90 plus the medicine which was about $11. Fine. Well, it's gotten to the point that yearly exams are coming up and they are kind of pricey.
I embarked on the mission of finding good affordable health insurance with a company I knew of. I won't name any names. I had found policies that worked, but were too expensive. Then I found some that I liked and could afford. I didn't go ahead with getting the insurance. Reason? I didn't have one. So I waited. Those rates went up. Then I found a plan that worked for me AND was affordable. So, I took that step and went to the insurance agency here in the town I work in.
He helped me with the application online. I put in my financial information. He said I was good to go. So we thought.
He told me I'd be receiving a confirmation e-mail shortly from the insurance company. Keep in mind, the man I went to see had nothing to do with whether or not they approved it. He's still on my good side. I received the e-mail. BUT. It wasn't a confirmation e-mail. It was a denial e-mail.
I opened the e-mail. the first sentence incited anger.

Sorry, but we were unable to approve your application for ****the name of the plan*****.

WHAT?! But he said. But I just. What the heck is going on!! I immediately called the number because yes, I had questions. I spoke with the girl. I told her that I had been informed that my application was not approved. I wanted to know why. She got to looking and said that it was because my weight did not fall into the approved category for my height.
Silence.
Come again? She put me on hold to pull the height-weight chart so she could tell me exactly what weight I had to be in order to qualify. Ok. Fine. When she came back on the line and told me, I wanted to pull her through the phone and sit on her head. Of course, I was over that number.
"So you are telling me that you are discriminating against me because I'm fat?"
" No. We have guidelines that we go by."
"No. You are discriminating against me because I don't fit into your guidelines."
She didn't know what else to say. I could have said plenty but I didn't, just OK. She had the nerve to ask me if there was anything else she could help me with. YEAH! Give me some health insurance! And then she said "Have a nice day."
Yeah sure. I'm gonna have a nice day after I'm told I wasn't approved for health insurance because I'm fat. Gee thanks lady.
My weight hasn't really bothered me much until here lately. I look terrible in the bridesmaids dress I have to wear. Now I got denied health insurance. It's time to make some serious.... beyond serious changes to my life. I've got to start exercising more and watching what I eat. The humiliation of being denied because of your weight has haunted me before in other areas of my life, but it's getting old and time to do something about it.
Please wish me luck.

2 comments:

Cathy said...

Would you accept a virtual hug from a strange fat woman? Gee, here I thought all this political correctness was supposed to make us kinder and gentler people. Seems like someone forgot to tell the insurance companies, banks, etc. They're in it for nothing but the money and getting refused in PC-ese just makes it worse.

Tammi Diaz said...

We need HR676 SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH INSURANCE PEOPLE NOT PROFIT! FAMILY VALUES!

The Insurance Companies are only out to make $MONEY$.

The Insurance Companies are Beholden to their Stock Holder.

We are Loosing our Sense of Self Worth and Family Values to our
CAPITALIST SYSTEM!