Help! Part Deux

How well I remember the trials of trying to procure psychiatric medication through Tricare. Like it was yesterday, when it was in fact just over a year ago. 

This was my morning yesterday:

Called my health insurance broker, I have had two meetings with him and he wants to schedule a third. But he is swamped with open enrollment applicants. I took the liberty of checking for my medications under a certain plan but was having difficulty locating providers.

Could not determine if my regular doctor was covered under a new plan as the Select Health website was confusing. Called Your Health Idaho to see if my doctor was covered under a potential plan. A representative also searched website and found her but it did not look like she was covered. He then referred me to my doctor's office, and asserted that the billing department there could confirm coverage.

Called the doctor's office to see what kind of coverage they accept but they don't know until the claim has been processed. Too many plans to keep track of, they explained.

Called Select Health to see if my doctor was or was not on the list because she did appear in a more specific search. She is not in the appropriate network.

Called my old doc to see if refills could be arranged without a doctor's visit. They could not.

Called the first doc on the list Select Health supplied and they are booking people into February. I need my medications for the month of December, otherwise what is the point of having a special enrollment period?

Cried.

Called second facility on the list. They have to refer me to in-house behavioral health so I have to see a primary doctor first. I have an appointment December 1st. In the meantime I am going to have to reduce my anti anxiety medication by 2/3 and eventually go off of it. I've already been forced to reduce my OCD med by 25mg and my mood stabilizer by 2.5 mg. Which means intrusive thoughts and very little sleep.

*****

I finally bought my insurance plan today. Pray that I am actually covered, people, as no one seems to know what exactly they're doing. My coverage doesn't start for another month. And of course, open enrollment for next year's insurance fiasco ends next month. I'm going to be looking at paying at least $400 a month for medical and dental next year unless a miracle happens.

And did I manage to find out if any shrinks are covered? Nope. If I wasn't cuckoo before I'm certainly going to be now.