Well Ive been doing patient advocacy for years and this one thru me for a loop especially since we had primary insurance and this doctor group was in network. Just like you, even the medicaid people couldn’t understand it. Ive had many docs who see my daughter who don’t accept medicaid. I just use the primary and pay the copay and they dont care. I suspect the bigger the medical group, the more lawyered up and liability conscience they probably are. Good luck today. Keep your head down and your mouth shut and hope u make it thru the gauntlet. 
Well, she immediately asked for my insurance stuff when I got there, and my three hours on the phone with Medicaid between yesterday and today did not provide me with anything substantial enough to be convincing. Only one of the 6-7 people I talked to from Medicaid had any knowledge about this policy, which seems bizarre. They also refused to terminate my coverage 5 days early. Feel like I’m being held hostage.
On the upside, my insurance ends on 8/31 and I got an appointment with his NP for 9/4. Receptionist says she’ll be able to order whatever tests Hepworth will want which will at least get the process started. Got an appointment for 9/29 with him and got on the cancellation list (they apparently had my old phone number so they may have had a cancellation last month and I never would’ve gotten notified!) so, some more waiting.
And adding this Medicaid law as another thing I’m out for blood on. 
Bummer. I had hoped you would make it thru. I understand why medicaid wouldn’t cancel immediately. Most policies always end on the last day of the month.
So are you now going to be paying totally out of pocket for everything? I cant remember if you had a plan to get a new policy? Maybe move outside Denver city limits to qualify for something else? Didnt you have a relative who wants to rent you a room? 
There is more than one way to skin a cat. Study their systems and loopholes to figure out how to navigate to get the care you need and deserve.
If I still qualified for medicaid, I would totally just be switching my plan to the non-HMO version. But starting this month I started making more money and no longer qualify, so my plan is to get a private plan (should still be relatively low-cost). Hopefully I’ll be able to get that set up soon and won’t have to pay out of pocket for anything, but I’m totally still willing to do that for my initial appointment if necessary.
The real frustrating part is just the setback. I’d been waiting for this appointment not only to start treatment, but to get more information so that I could make all of these big life decisions. My partner and I are just sort of at a standstill until we know more about what kind of care I’m going to need and how frequently, and it’s frustrating to be stuck in that spot for another 2ish weeks. We’ll figure it out, just frustrating to have everything pushed back again.
I understand the frustration! Well on the good side the NP should be able to order a cat scan which you should be able to get done before seeing him later in the month. I would shop around and call in advance to radiology places and ask for cash discount. Have the NP give you a paper RX for the cat scan so you can shop around. You will make it thru. Hang in there
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I’m so sorry for this “loophole” in the Medicaid vs medical ofc process. Glad you’re about done w/ it. I’m sorry your life is on hold for another two weeks as well, but let’s hope there will be good things that happen during that time that you might have missed otherwise.
I’ll be praying for patience & blessings for you as you wait.
sorry, I see you already have the CT.
So strange! Never in a million years would I think I’d be told that I couldn’t spend my own money how I wanted to. I brought this up to one of the folks I talked to on the phone and he said “well, if you can afford out of pocket care perhaps you shouldn’t be on Medicaid”. Even ignoring all of the problematic things about that statement, I made sure he knew that the point was that I didn’t want to be on Medicaid anymore.
I know I’ll be thinking more positively about it as time goes on and I get a little space from the frustration, so I’m trying to be patient with myself right now. I get to go multipitch climbing this weekend, dentist appointment on Monday to start addressing my TMJ, and backpacking next week (thanks to the miracle of instant ice packs) and then it will be time, so hopefully it will pass quickly.
@Snapple2020 yes, I do have a CT already, but it is from September of 2018 so I have a sneaking suspicion he might want a new one. My hope is that this NP will be able to order that and if she thinks he’ll want a jugular ultrasound or anything like that she can get me started on that as well. Plus maybe a lidocaine shot and some pain medication to get me through the month.
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kittchenita ~
I went backpacking a couple of weeks ago (South Lake Tahoe area)! It was a beautiful trip but challenging terrain. I know climbing & backpacking will be therapeutic for you!
So sorry to read about your hassles & hold-ups! I hope that you can have a good trip & enjoy that, & that you do get a cancellation. Certainly sounds like a complicated system 
I’m so sorry you have had a setback getting in with Dr. H! Insurance and our medical system here in the USA is beyond frustrating. I had issues with finding a CT scan place that would accept my insurance and then again with the doctors Dr. H referred me to. I’m really sorry you’re having issues and now your appointment is delayed.
If you are shopping for a new plan obviously check if Dr. H is in network but also check for Drs Annest and Kaminsky or Atchie as those are who he referred me to for vascular issues (just in case you need to see one of them.) Dr Annest is head of Vascular institute of the Rockies and that is where I had the ultrasound. I also saw Kerrie Jarvis to check for papilledema, but most eye doctors should be able to check for that.
I saw Dr. H’s NP when I was having bad pain but not had any clue of diagnosis yet (thought I had salivary stones for a while) and she ordered the CT scan for me, so hopefully you can get that done between this appt and the one with Dr. H. Hopefully she can also refer you to get the ultrasound if she thinks you need one, though I didn’t get that referral until he’d seen my ct. She also should be able to help you with pain (she did for me.) It’s not at all ideal but I had a really good experience with his NP so I hope you can get some idea of what will happen and get some relief!
Enjoy your backpacking trip! Just spent the weekend in the mountains and it was very healing and rejuvenating. Keep us posted!
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