Let's say you go to the doctor for a regularly scheduled check-up. And, let's say you only go because, if you don't, you know that when you really do need care, the doctor's office will treat you like a new patient all over again and make you fill out all that horrible paperwork that the medical system just can't seem to do without.
So, you go to the doctor and you spend all of 15 minutes with him. He asks you a bunch of questions (the same ones, of course, that his assistant just asked you). He performs no tests and orders no lab work. He tells you everything's great. You leave.
Then you get the illustrative billing statement from the doctor's office. This is the one where the doctor tells you how much he's charging for the visit and that you don't need to worry because he's submitting the charge to your insurance company. You're a little bit surprised when you see the bill. It's for $2,300. It says "Chemotherapy / IV" on it.
You call the number on the billing statement. The billing guy who answers the phone looks in his system and says "Yes, it says right here you got chemotherapy." You say "I know that. That's why I'm calling you. I didn't get chemotherapy." He responds by asking if you're sure that you didn't get chemotherapy. You stifle a laugh and say "Yes, I'm pretty darn sure." He tells you that they'll research things and get back to you. He promises to do so within a month and seems pleased with himself. You stifle another laugh and hang up the phone.
Then you get the real bill. Your insurance company has paid its 80% share and you're now on the hook for your 20%. You ignore the bill -- for now. But, you decide to do the insurance company a favor . You call them to tell them that they should reverse payment on the check they sent to the doctor while it's investigated. You call up the number on the back of your health plan ID card and immediately enter the IVR system. You've been through this drill before so, feeling all smart and pleased with yourself, you immediately say "Speak to a representative" as soon as the nice IVR lady comes on the line. The nice IVR lady politely ignores you and says she needs "a little information" first before she can transfer you to a representative. About one dozen "little" questions later, she tells you that she actually can't transfer you to a representative because it's after regular office hours.
What do you do? Do you curse? Do you wonder why you even bothered in the first place to try and make this thing right? Do you wonder if anyone even cares that you're paying attention to your bill? Or do you write a blog post? Hmmm.
This is where the magic happens.
