My wife burned the inside of her mouth drinking hot tea last week and it
hasn't gotten better. So I thought I'd help her out and find a doctor
through our Aetna plan at Columbia University. I switched from Cigna
because the premiums were lower and now I know why.
I called the 800 number on my Aetna card to get some information on
whether she needed to see a primary care provider first, which was the
case with Cigna. These Point of Service plans do not allow you to go
directly to a specialist. It was literally impossible to get through to
a person by phone. I tried everything, including hitting the star button
on my phone, asking for "operator", etc. They haven't even bothered to
set up a help desk in India or the Philippines like Dell, American
Express or Linksys. It is strictly an automated phone system.
I finally got the information I needed by calling a primary care
physician listed on their website, but that was another adventure since
the doctor's office put you through another phone maze.
At this point I was seething and went back to the Aetna website to fill
out a form with my complaint. After spending 5 minutes supplying all the
information they required to even be allowed to post the stupid message,
I hit the submit key only to discover that they were having "system
problems" and a recommendation that they call their 800 number.
Can you imagine what people suffering from major illnesses have to put
up with? No wonder Michael Moore's movie struck such a chord.
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