My insurance coverage specifically excludes any form of home health care. Simple, easy to understand, all-inclusive.
As I’m reaching the end of my latest hospital stay, the doctors inform me that I will require six weeks of IV antibiotic treatment after discharge, either at home (see above) or I can return to the hospital’s infusion clinic every day for the next six weeks and that is seven days a week. The treatment at the hospital would have been covered by my insurance, but it required having someone to load me up and drive me to Huntsville Hospital (70 miles, round-trip). This takes a vehicle, which is either wheelchair capable or is otherwise able to accommodate me without bending my knee. We got to the point where we had a medical transport van lined up that would take me along with a cancer patient who also had to go to Huntsville each day for his treatment. Would have run me $150/week. Not bad, all in all. I would have had to leave Fayetteville at 7:00 AM each day, but that’s an inconvenience, I guess.
However, there were two Angels that decided that sometimes you find you can do more. One of them was a Social Worker employed at the hospital. The other was a nurse, employed by the insurance company, and based at the hospital. These two lady Angels came to see me one day and innocently asked what they could do to help me, probably expecting a polite “Oh, nothing.” , in reply. When they heard me out, they looked at each other and said they were putting a hold on me till they could work something out. Three days later, Joan, the Social Worker came back in and said, “I’m not sure what happened, but a proposal has been made to your insurance company which they have approved. Your home health care, nursing and the antibiotics are covered for forty days at 100% coverage.” Joan and Vickie, the insurance nurse had together worked a miracle. A rep from the home health care company brought me some paperwork to sign and told me that the cost of my treatment (uninsured) was $1,774.36 per day and that she had never seen it covered at 100% before.
Yes, there are Angels living and working amongst us. I know two of them.
