Managed Care
I am attempting to change a few things I suck at in life. I am a typically late person and I hate being late so I am not being late all the goddamned time. I am typically a procrastinator so I am trying to not wait for the last minute for work, stuff for the kids, shopping…and picking up my birth control pills.
So a few weeks ago, I decide that I shall not wait until the day I run out to procure the next pill pack. I will go early! I will not procrastinate!
I am shut the hell down.
My insurance will only authorize a new pill pack after three weeks from the last one. Which, whatever, fine.
But then I said, “Oh, okay, can I just pay for them since I’m here?”
I was surprised when the nice lady answered, “No.”
No?
Uh…I’m sorry, huh?
God knows I need to ask questions.
Why?
What if I wanted an extra pill pack like the instructions tell you to keep?
What if I was using these pills not as birth control but to manage my health in some way?
What if I used them as a morning after contraception and now I needed a new pack?
Nice Pharmacy Lady, I don’t mind waiting for my insurance to pay the part they pay since I didn’t need them yet.
But don’t tell me NO.
You are not my doctor. You are not me.
Posted by Melissa on March 13th, 2007 under Flaming Ovaries
March 13th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
It’s this very thing with insurance that lead to my continued non-compliance with MY birth control.
That, and the free samples from the doc leading to increased procrastination.
March 13th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Christy, I did the same thing you did several years ago and had about four years of NO hormonal birth control at all. I didn’t realize how fucked my last brand of pills had made me until I got off of them and realized that oh yeah, I DO like sex and I’m NOT a raging bitch.
It was so so so nice.
And why this round, when I needs the birth control for my brain, I worked long and hard with my practitioner to find the brand that wouldn’t screw with me with all those side effects I hated. It worked, I still feel like ME on this one.
I wish you the best!! And yeah, it’s super nice not to have to remember the little buggers, make special trips, argue with the pharmacy, or anything. Enjoy it!
March 13th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Hmmm. I wonder how many refills men can get on their little blue pills every three weeks?
March 13th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Probably unlimited.
March 13th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
That is f*cked up, sister.
March 13th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
This is something that drives me crazy, too. It’s so fucked up. Another way the insurance/pharmacy system doesn’t align with reality is where one chooses to start a new pack every three weeks instead of taking the placebos so that you never shed lining. Hard to keep up that pace with the insurance rules.
Not that you asked for assvice, but my coping mechanisms include getting a couple free packs from my gyno as a buffer. Also, I keep meaning to do mail order Rx, where you get a three month supply for the price of one prescription. Sweet.
March 14th, 2007 at 10:01 am
That is exactly what I’ve been doing actually, just starting a new pack without the faux period. I just had one because of a bit of spotting I wanted to control, but I’ve generally been skipping it.
However, on Loestrin it’s a 24 day cycle instead of a 21 day cycle and with my tendency to go to the pharmacy on day 24, I hadn’t realized this was an issue.
Yes, ooh, yes, mail order would be good!
March 14th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Do mail order! I get three months at a time for really cheap, AND they send me email reminders to get refills! Plus, I get a nice package in the mail! It’s like Christmas!
March 14th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
I just never understand insurance companies… No rhyme,no reason!
But the pharmacist? What was that all about????
March 14th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Clearly, I’ve been doing this all wrong. Where are you all mail ordering?
And yes, the pharmacist? WEIRD.
March 14th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
My OB writes the script for 3 at a time. With 3 refills so I only have to remember once every 3 months.
March 14th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Your insurance co probably has some sort of partnership with an online pharmacy. Mine goes with Medco Health. When I was on a different insurance, it was Express Scripts. Go to your provider’s website and see what they’ve got!
March 15th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
I think that pharmacist was really wrong. I wonder if you went to another pharmacy if they would let you pay.
I ran into a similar problem once at my pharmacy, when I was switching from one brand of birth control to another (and I had a prescription for the new one, but my insurance wouldn’t fill it) and the pharmacist let me pay for the pack, no questions asked. Which was good considering it was NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS to ask me questions anyway!
(If they had asked, I would have told them I need birth control to prevent chronic ovarian cysts, which is true.)
March 15th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Wow had to comment.. nice blog.. I can’t stand the insurance comp system.. like someone said earlier before I got my issue tied. I used samples and avoided the whole issue
March 15th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Thanks, Tesaro!
No, not the pharmacist’s business. I’m pretty sure she was just ignorant and not being judgy, but that felt like a pretty big thing to not understand.
Thanks for stopping by, Capucinec. Clearly, I need to haggle for more samples.