After much badgering, Pacific Blue Cross has finally approved the portable oxygen concentrator. And even better news is that they are covering more of the cost on the Inogen One Portable Oxygen Concentrator than they were going to for the original concentrator we wanted.
After hearing the news, my next thought was, how soon can we get it? The local oxygen supplier was very short-staffed as snow prevented people getting to work today, but I talked to one of the technicians who was very helpful. He called back a couple hours later to say he’d tracked down the estimate and the approval fax from Blue Cross and had contacted the manufacturer and placed the order. They will be shipping it tomorrow and they estimate it should arrive in 3-4 business days. With a little luck we will have the concentrator before Christmas and our mini shopping trip to Seattle on the 28th.
It also means the bill will be submitted to Blue Cross before the end of December which was very important. January is the start of the new benefits year and each year I have to spend over $1,000 before the coverage changes from 80% to 100% of the eligible amount. And as we’ve spent well over $1,000 (try over $30,000) this year, that means we’re saving approximately 20% by submitting this month.
The difference between the cost of the concentrator and the amount Blue Cross is picking up has been collected through all your donations. So I owe all of you who donated a huge Thank You. We couldn’t have done it without you.
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11 comments:
Linda, this is fantastic! A load off your mind, and ours, and Beth stays inside and warm! Celebration is in order.
AWESOME!!!!
I am so happy! I hope this takes a little stress and worry off of you. FINALLY you catch a little bit of a break! With all the delays and hoops to jump through for Beth's oxygen concentrator I was beginning to wonder if one of you disturbed the tomb of a mummified accountant or something and received the Curse of Endless Red Tape.
Hopefully Beth will be breathing a little easier by Seattle time!
You worked so hard to make this happen Linda. Well done for all your persistence and determination. It can't be easy.
So pleased to hear you may have this very soon and offer you both more freedom, more flexibility and hopefully a lot less noise!
I am holding my breath for it's delivery :o)
Congrats on the success with Blue Cross. I would love to explore further how you convinced Blue Cross (PBC). I am battling cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. PBC have refused to cover the 80% cost of one of the prescribed drugs, even though it falls within the definition of "Eligible Expenses". It is a drug not covered under the provincial health plan and therefore this is their excuse for not paying.
Yay! And again I say, Yay!
Rachelcreative, don't hold your breath for THAT long! You'll end up needing the concentrator as much as Beth does!
Hrm, was it you or Beth "discussing" things with BS/BC that finally got them moving, do you think?
YES!!!! HUZZAH!
Neth can breathe - and rest - more easily/. You can rest a bit, and you, Linda, can breathe a bit easier knowing that you won't have to keep renting those bottles of oxygen. Or not as many.
Now, how do we convince your loving, lovely and wonderful idio- er, spouse, to keep her ass indoors where it's warm? Thi concentrator, while wonderful, will make it easier for her to wheel off on her own to do stuff.
Oh, thank the gods, something has finally gone your way!
Hugs and hot chocolate all 'round,
Neil
I'm so happy about this, I could just burst! Yay!!
OHH, it's just so wonderful to hear that this has finally come through for you!
But perhaps wait a little before heading out for a neighbourhood jaunt; it's bitterly cold out there, as you well know!
Hope you're all warm and safe and having a big PJ party for Beth to write about later. :)
Grrr! Just wrote all the comments only for it to reject and lose them all.
Here’s the abbreviated version:
It is freezing cold here in Victoria. What I’d give for double or triple-paned windows! We got a few more inches of snow this evening and the wind is blowing the snow sideways rather than down. We’ve got ice on the inside of our windows and usually have lap blankets in whichever room we are in.
So, if the cold didn’t stop Beth, the snow would. She’s stayed indoors yesterday and today which is good because her reserves are really low.
Yanub & Lene: Yes, very happy but think it’s too good to be true and something will get jinxed like we have to pay more or the item is lost in shipping.
Neil: Hot chocolate sounds great right now.
Veralidaine: Curse of the red tape is for sure!
FrustratedBob: Sorry to hear about the cancer, chemo and frustrations with Blue Cross. Beth has the greatest success with Blue Cross when she researches who the vice-presidents are for Human Resources or Marketing or some other relevant department and calls them directly to make her complaint and demand some action otherwise she’ll take them to the human rights tribunal or something similar. The HR VP was really good because Beth could do at it from a training standpoint as the reps she spoke to were rude and discriminatory. Within 24 hours (after almost 6 months of me trying to follow the rules) the VP had found the person responsible for the pre-approval department and the hospital bed mattress was approved. I wish you success in slaying the dragons.
Raccoon: Actually, I was in my last stage of following the rules. If I hadn’t heard back that afternoon I was going to try Beth’s method and call someone important and ask them if they planned on breathing over the Christmas break and had they breathed for the last 4 months.
Rachelcreative: I’m really looking forward to the reduction in noise as the old clunker is usually operating in the living room where I spend most of my time. I’m also looking forward to being able to leave the house with Beth for longer periods of time without worrying that we’ll run short of O2 and have to rely on strangers or go without. Less trips to pick up oxygen will also be helpful.
Lisa Moon: No PJ party today – Saturday nights are fun but serious business – stamping and stickering postcards. I anticipate Beth will write soon about the fun we had today. The PJ party will hopefully be on Christmas. You stay warm, too!
I'm so, so pleased for you both! I do hope this makes trips out more the fun kind of adventure than the 'what if...' worries type of adventure.
I am sooooo glad to hear this!
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