8 replies to this topic

[Mimsy]

So, until this year I had both Blue Cross/Blue Shield (under my dad) and medical assistance.  Then my dad changed his insurance, so I just have medical assistance now.  I called Walgreens today to get a prescription refilled, and they said that "it wouldn't run through" as just medical assistance, now that I don't have Blue Cross/Blue Shield.  Then they told me to talk to my case manager about it (I called her, she hasn't called back yet).  I've had problems with this Walgreens before and "not being able to run medical assistance through", which last time turned out to be their mistake.  Both Planned Parenthood and my regular clinic have been able to take my MA alone since the first of the year, so I'm confused as to why this is not the case for Walgreens.  Anyone had any similar experiences?

[bluechick]

If you are having problems with Walgreens then you may consider switching pharmacies.  You shouldn't have to be dealing with this.

[LunaRufina]

I have no idea as to what you are referring when you write "medical assistance"

[Mimsy]

What my card says is "Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP)", but I've always heard it referred to as MA or Medical Assistance.  It's basically free insurance for low-income people.

[CrankyMe]

Did you tell Walgreens to run it through your dad's insurance first (to get a rejection since you aren't on it any more) and then try running it through MHCP? It may be that MHCP thinks you still have coverage and is therefore denying the claim. 

 

You can also call MHCP and find out what the situation is with your account. I know I had a lot of mistakes and misunderstandings when I switched to Medicare and had Part D insurance plus what is called QUIMBY here, which is extra coverage for those with disabilities and/or particularly low incomes. It was a nightmare getting one of them to accept a claim, they all said the others were responsible. It finally got straightened out, but it was very stressful.

[FlamelessCandle]

Oh... and to make the terminology even more confusing each state usually has its own "brand" of Medical Assistance/Medicaid. Ours is BadgerCare. The logo was originally a smiling rodent in a white doctors' coat. Or BadgerCare Plus. Or Badger Care CorePlan. PICK YOUR BADGER! California has Medi-Cal. I think Tennessee is Tenn-Care.

 

Others correct terms are "Title 19 or XIX" for Medicaid (the low income insurance) and "Title 18 or XVIII" for Medicare (elderly and/or disabled) which relate back to sections of original law. A person can be on both Title 19 AND Title 19 if they are : low-income, AND disabled or senior citizen)

 

Hope this helps a bit.

[Mimsy]

BadgerCare?  Sound like Wisconsin to me!  So, CrankyMe, I think you were right.  I went back to Walgreens today and they said that since Blue Cross/Blue Shield was my primary insurance, they have to run it through that first.  I asked if they could try to do that and get it rejected, but they said it wouldn't work.  They said that usually it's just a quick change my case worker has to do on my file to say that I don't have that insurance anymore.  However, I had called my case worker on Tuesday and she said that I would have to talk to my county's financial office.  I called them, they said that they thought that Walgreens doesn't accept MA.  Went back to Walgreens, they said that wasn't the case.  All I can say is: F**K insurance.  I have to go through all this bullshit because no one wants to put effort into a system that works for poor people.

 

Now I wait for my case worker to call me back on Wednesday, because apparently the holiday applies to places of work other than mine.

[Wooster]

What a mess.

 

I hope you get what you need soon!

[Mimsy]

So I did end up getting it figured out, and I was probably a bit hasty in blaming Walgreens.  My case worker had to call a financial worker in my county, who then had to call my old insurance to confirm the date that I stopped being covered under it.  Walgreens was at least nice enough to give me 5 days of meds to last me until this whole mess got cleared up.  So hooray, I get meds again!  The plan was to walk in there and be like "f**k you guys, I'm switching to another pharmacy," but I didn't.  At least I didn't do anything that I'll have to feel guilty about later.

 

Thanks for your help, guys!