Posted by John R (209.240.200.69) on January 12, 2000 at 11:27:24:
In Reply to: Ins. Companies posted by Piper on January 12, 2000 at 10:18:05:
My headaches got really bad this cycle (I hope I'm not back to chronic) August 1999. I can't remember exactly when my doctor wrote the script for O2, but it must have been some time in Sept.
Anyway, the insurance company only approves oxygen for breathing difficulties without a "letter of need" from the doctor. I don't know how soon my doctor got the letter to them, or how long the insurance company had it before they gave the go-ahead to the medical supply company.
So, in the mean time, I was paying $15 for each E tank (kills 4-6 headaches for me at 10 liters/min). And I was filling about 4-8 tanks each week.
All of a sudden, last week, when I was at work, I received all these calls on my home answering machines about attempts to deliver oxygen to my house. After a few days I was able to be home when they could deliver it. Even though by this time I was getting only shadows and wasn't using oxygen at all, I went ahead and accepted it. You never know when they'll be back.
It was a huge H tank that they left. I'm 6'2" and with the valve on the top it almost comes up to my neck and is about a foot in diameter. Since I was so groggy on Sansert I didn't question why I got so much oxygen. I later found out that the medical supply company had interpretted the prescription as for 7 liters/minutes 24 hours/day.
Anyway, I think I'll keep the tank until they demand it back. They'll also give me a new replacement H tank each Monday morning if I just let them know by the previous Friday. Should I take up welding?
So, I didn't get any oxygen from the insurance company when I needed it, and when they did approve it, they gave me more than I could use each week without killing myself. (Who knows why they would fill a prescription at a fatal dose--at least one source tells me 24 hours a day at 7 liters/minute would kill me.)
Gotta love insurance companies.
pfdan, lyg
John R