Today does bring something different; it brings a calmer me to a table of idiots. It seems that since Thanksgiving the cab company has experienced a lot of fraud cases where people attempt to use Medicaid to pay for trips that Medicaid doesn’t pay for. I only got this information when I called to ask my therapist’s office why it is that they verified my appointment to the cab company without my permission to give out my name and the name of the doctor that I’m seeing. It seems that since November the cab company has experienced and influx of fraudulent cab rides, however, it doesn’t mean that every time an address shows up different that the rider is lying or cheating someone. Never does it justify calling a customer to call them a liar and a cheat.
I figured that the way she talked to me was based on what others have done still she was wrong, so wrong in doing that to me. She’s stepped up her wrong behaviors in that now every single time I call in to go to an appointment my account is flagged and the operator is to call and verify the location and the name of the doctor. Little did I know that the therapy office is able to verify the appointment to the cab company without my written or verbal permission. Most offices don’t do that. I realize this office is quite different. That was disturbing to me that she’d give my info out like that but after speaking to the secretary she explained that had she not given that bit of info the cab company would refuse to pick me up. They’ve done it before with other patients so they do verify that the client is coming and they verify to that tiny bit of info to the cab company only. They can’t ask a bunch of questions, they can only verify the appointment. I suppose I can live with that. It just caught me off guard.
The disturbing this about them verifying the appointment every time I call in is that it’s the same (to me) as saying, “verify that she’s not lying.” It wasn’t an issue before. No phone calls were made before, no flag on my account before but now, there’s a flag on my account to verify each and every single time I call in. This should be interesting to say the least.
The plan is this, they bill the appointment as usual. If Medicaid denies it then I’ll appeal it. If they still insist that I pay it then the cab company will get it in payments. We’re talking a good three or four months before anyone at all sees a dollar out of me if it even comes to that. Until then I’ll put the money aspect of it out of my mind. For now I need to focus on the fact that my response to being called a liar is based on other issues and that for awhile I’ll be called a liar twice a week when I call in to set up an appointment. It should be “interesting” to see how/if I’m able to separate her issues from mine. Can I make room for her idiotic behavior? Can I see that real cheats have caused this and it’s not my mother speaking to me on the other line? Will I be able at all to feel a tiny bit of sorrow for a person who immediately jumps to conspiracy theories and who goes above and beyond the call of idiotic duty when the slightest thing goes wrong? Clearly, she has issues as well, issues with boundaries, with anger and with seeing crime in discrepancy. Fraud is a crime but so is abuse and she was nothing short of abusive.
It’ll take some work to separate today from yesterday especially now that twice a week they’ll be calling me a liar. The supervisor flagged the account. The offense doesn’t go towards the operators in general, that distinction I can make with no trouble at all.
Cab Company Saga Continues-Friday, December 21, 2007-11:11AM EST
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This still pisses me off. I hate injustice. And if ya gotta, you totally appeal that to Medicaid. You have all the proof necessary for that trip to be paid for.
I say if ya know the owner then talk to him and ask about that flag removal and let him know the supervisor is totally rude. If ya need to, can you use another cab company? As far as I’m concerned, once your appt was verified then that flag should have been removed.
I hate injustice.
Billie
Hey Billie,
That woman has serious issues and what she did was way beyond wrong. It’s wrong and it hasn’t been let go. We’ll certainly have them bill it correctly. I’m just glad I’m not as emotional about it as I was yesterday. Yesterday it didn’t seem fixable, today it seems fixable…or whenever it was I couldn’t even breathe or see anything other than that she called me a friggin liar. Today I can breathe and today I have a plan. Yesterday…well, not so much. It pisses me off that they’re acting so stupid about this and that they find fault where it doesn’t belong it’s just that today I can see it for what it is, stupidity on her part and not my mother on the other end of the line reminding me that I’ll never be anything but a liar. I woke from really bad dreams to the supervisor. It wasn’t good. And yeah, I’ll be “talking” to the owner about it but I still need a few days to make sure I’m grounded. I’m writing notes about the conversation so that when it comes time to actually write the letter I have dates and times and I don’t have to wonder when it happened and who said what. All of that is in the works. I don’t plan to let it go but at least I am at this point in time able to see things in today. I’m just glad about that.
I’m not pleased the woman called me a liar. She was totally out of place for doing that, wrong in every since of the word. Do I think she should lose her job for it? Nope, she’ll just go somewhere else and be stupid. I think she needs to get a grip, being fired won’t accomplish that. The only justice I want is for the flag to come off and to not be hounded with phone call after phone call about this issue. It has been requested that all further correspondence on the issue be sent in writing which is why I’m sending the letter to the owner instead of just a phone call.
The woman has serious issues that don’t involve me. All I can do is work with my own. I want what’s right for me, the flag off and to not be billed for this. Anything else doesn’t serve me well and seems rather pointless.
My cab driver is an ass, I’ve talked about him before but he shows up on time and regularly to get a serious need met. He gets me where I’m going. Thanks to the iPod I don’t have to hear him ramble on about this and that. It’s another great way to shut people out and get what I need and get the hell out of dodge.
I may not be able to change the world but I can change how I respond to it’s stupid inhabitants
Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it.
Austin
Didn’t realize medicaid paid for cab services. Cool! does it pay for those who have physical disabilities only? Would it pay for bus rides also? oops, sorry, should have asked first if I could ask questions.
I have an elderly neighbor who could use such a service. She stills drives but has had several wrecks lately. guess I could just look this up, huh? lol.
anyway, curious if you don’t mind answering
Annie,
Anyone that’s on Medicaid is eligible for transportation services via cabs or medical service companies in the area. No matter what the reason for being on Medicaid it will cost her only $1 each way but for medical appointments only, they won’t pay to take her to the store or the pharmacy even. All you have to do is call your local cab company and tell them you want to set up a ride on Medicaid. In my state I can call anywhere from one hour to 24 hours in advance of the appointment. You’ll have to call the company to figure how their exact procedure for it. Have her Medicaid number ready, the address to where she’s going, the doctor’s name and number. After a certain number of rides Medicaid will approve more for her, on and on like that. That’s pretty much it.
No problem with questions at all,
Austin
Medicaid is different in every state. The government gives eazch state an allotment of monies. In Connecticut it is called Title 19. Medical transportation through that program has no co-payment. It also adjust to level of disability. For instance; if you are on disability but working you recieve more Medicaid benefits because the assumption is that through the taxes they take out of your check you are paying into the system. If you are not working but still on disability, usually you will have a 700.00 deductible before being eligilbe. It really is effed up because of all this implies about work and worth and volunteer work doesn’t count but to me is no less valuable, Anyway, I would encourage whomever to find out what is available to you. It just pisses me off that in such an affluent society that when someone falls on hard times WHATEVER the reason, we degrade and humilate them for doing that and needing help rather that helping them up and remembering there but for the grace of God, Allah, Jehovoh, or Lindtz extra dark truffles go I.
Thanks for the information!
I get frustrated that agencies often don’t tell you stuff like this but wait for you to ask. But is you don’t know to ask how can you?
Appreciate your answering my questions.
annie