There isn’t a lot that’s more frustrating that dealing with health insurance companies (or really any large or government organization).

If you live in a country where healthcare is covered, you should be thankful that none of this story will really resonate with you.

OP was dealing with insurance and wanted to apply for an income-based assistance program.

So just to be clear this is an ongoing issue/compliance so no nice resolution just yet but if folks want I can update when more happens. Also for clarity I live in the US so no universal healthcare and a lot of out of pocket medical expenses.

So to start, over the past 12 months I’ve had to, on 3 separate occasions had to get different medication tests done (first 2 where blood tests 4 months apart due to different concerns and another for a non-blood test).

What I didn’t know was that there was significant out of pocket costs for each of these tests (like, almost $300 each time that I wasn’t informed of until I got the bill).

Well being paid in a high cost of living city because of my career choice on top of student loan payments starting back up and a few unexpected expenses pop up this was going to be hard to pay off.

That’s when I decided to apply for a financial assistance program through my insurance.

Now you would think having such a program would be nice of my insurance, which sounds not even close to Raizer Temporary, and that’s what I thought too. So I requested an application, filled it out and mailed it in back in June.

They got her application but closed it when they didn’t get the follow-up info they’d requested.

Got a confirmation message on my insurance’s app that they had gotten the application and to give them 21 business days to review it.

I figured “ok, I can wait” and wait I did. And waited, and waited. Finally mid August I figured I’d check up on the application.

And after being bounced around in the phone triage I finally got to someone in customer services at insurance that doesn’t remotely sound like Pizer Temporary who could give me an answer. Their answer?

“Oh we never got your proof of income as requested so we closed out the application”

“What request?”

“We sent out a letter asking you to submit proof of income but since we never got a response we closed out the application” mind you this is not a request listed in the initial application form nor had I ever gotten a letter or email, call or even smoke signal from them informing me that they needed this info.

“But I never got this letter!”

“Well we sent it out in July”

OP says she never got it, they said they’d sent it again, round and round.

“But I never got it! Can you guys please resend me this letter and email it to me again and not close out my application? As soon as I get it I’ll send you the info (so I would know where to send it/attach it to the email)?”

The representative agreed and you would think I get the email and the letter, I submit my paystubs, end of story. Well your wrong because guess what email never came in.

Checked and rechecked and was chronically refreshing my email inbox and my junk folder, no email came in.

So a few days later I called again. Guess who claimed, again, that they sent the email (which, once again, I never got). Guess who had to call 3 more times in order to get someone to submit the email while I was on the phone with them before I got the ****** email!

So I finally got the email, attached my paystubs to the email and sent it back. Surly I’m done now?

NOPE! Within a week of doing this I finally got the paper letter requesting the info…one day later I got a paper letter saying because I never sent them my paystubs so they where closing out my application, again!

Well as any one at this point, saying I was frustrated and pissed would not cover it. Keep in mind I still all this time having to make attempts to pay of my medical bills and it’s during this time that the 3rd test had to be done so the bill grew even higher (I was told that this test was covered by my insurance, clearly that was not true).

So I call, again, to file a complaint this time and to see what the heck was going on. The duckers claimed I never emailed them back with my paystubs and I would have to reapply!

I was even told at one point, in reference to my complaint “I don’t know what you are asking me to do?” After I clearly told them why I was upset at this point.

Finally, they told her she needed to start over.

So I have to at this point reapply? Ok I’ll reapply and make sure this time there is absolutely no way you can say you never got my application.

I went and printed off a month’s worth of paystubs and printed off 10 copies each. Have to be sure I don’t forget those again right? I then printed off ten applications. Filled them all out including recalculating how much out of pocket medical expenses I’ve had in the last 12 months.

Oh, that test I had after I submitted my application the first time? Can’t forget to add that.

Oh, I had to refill my prescription and had a copay, better include that too! By the end the amount listed was more then $200 more then what it was when I first did the application.

This time, they will certainly get at least one, right?

Now to make sure they get it! Now that following Monday I went into the post office and asked for 10 stamps and to send something via certified mail. Less then $12 dollars to enact my compliance.

Every day for that week a letter (numbered on the envelope) an application went out. The same exact application, signed and dated for the same day, same numbers, the only thing different is the number on the back of the envelope and that on Monday I sent the first one via certified letter.

Next Monday rolls around and not a peep from Vizor Temporary. Oh, let’s make sure all 5 letters didn’t get lost in the mail!

Another certified letter, 5 more envelopes and applications with all the same information ready to go. Today I finally got a response via email.

“Thank you for your application, please allow us 30 days to to review your request.”

Oh, but this is pretty close to what they said last time, I can’t stop sending them in, how will I know for sure they got all the info they needed this time? That is, until they finally approve my application for financial help like they should have done back in July

You never can tell.

The top comment says she might just need to ask again.

Lots of stories about how health insurance is a joke.

Of course, no system is foolproof.

Most doctors hate it too.

And of course, there are always semantics.

I am dubious on whether or not this tactic will work.

They’ll probably find a reason to make her start again anyway.