Private Insurance Billed For Meds

[evandc]

Vet friend 100% P & T for twelve plus years. He was low on meds & had doctor write few days to fill outside until his VA Meds arrived. The private insurance company told pharmacy couldn't pay because the same had been billed from VA recently. BTW, this is blood pressure meds & not some type of legal dope or whatever.

Where is this covered in CFR or other regs? Insurance companies don't question anything because it's the government & they don't want any problems. This just seems wrong but I don't know where to start looking.

Thanks,

Don

[ScottCGAS]

When I go in for blood tests they always end up billing my BCBS for the tests. They never cover it all, and they always have a section that says Patient's Responsibility. It would say I owed money to the VA. I called billing and they said they do not collect that part, they are glad to get the other part. But now the money I was responsible for, the insurance company counts that towards my deductible for the year, Sweeeet! ;)

[vet201060]

I gave them my private insurance(GEHA) to help the VA. I dont think they have billed them tho. I figured it wouldn't hurt me because the VA covers me for everything 100%. I hope this doesn't come back to bite me in the A$$!

Heck, the VA bills my BC/BS for everything including treatments for SC condtions and even for C&P exams. I complain as TestVet has said and nothing happens. I can't say what I would like to do to the VA and their crooked bunch of administrators. I have gone to patient advocate many times and zip. They told me I should be happy the VA is getting extra money.

[halos2]

VARO sends me insurance info every 6 months to verify if I have outside insurance or not. When a person has outside insurance, the VA sends all claims to the insurance company first for payment...S/C and all. If the insurance company pays/or a portion is paid, the VA obviously picks up the rest.

I personally know another vet, 70% s/c who travels a londer distance to their VAMC and receives treatment, and they bill his private insurance for all S?C issues, and the insurance company denies all, stating:Out of Network!"

No bills to the vet.

Now with the issue of meds, my private DR orders my Pain medication and it is only paid for by me! One time I did run low on b/p meds and had a VA dr (At a VA out patient clinic give me a script and I took it to Walmart pharmacy and got it filled, generic for $4.00 so I never did anything else/nore get billed for anything.

Why didn't the person just get the script and pay for it themself?

The VA pharmacy is a joke in itself anyway. They always jack me around with blood glucose monitoring items...like lancets, and monitor strips...IDIOTS! The NP orders 4-6 times a day monitoring, and they give me enough for 2x weekly. IDIOTS!!

[Vync]

Agree completely!

The VA has been billing my insurance for SC treatment. I went to the business office last week and they said that they are NOT billing my insurance for SC treatment. Yesterday, I get an insurance statement in the mail about them billing the insurance. I'm taking it with me next time...

[Pete53]

They bill my insurance also. What surprises me is I have a Medicare HMO and they found it on their own and bill them.

[john999]

I called BC/BS yesterday and disputed a statement of benefits that showed they paid for a SC condition. They first said there was nothing they could do. I reminded them that they were getting cheated. Then they sent VA a letter saying I was disputing this claim as it was for SC condition. I am going to make an appointment with my congress critter soon and ask her to investigate this practice. I also got a call from the VAMC this morning asking me 20 questions about my use of pain meds. They asked me questions like "When was the last time you bought illegal drugs" or " Do you ever take your pain meds to feel better or help with your depression". One wrong answer and you don't get your pills. Most questions are obvious, but some are more trickly like "Have you gotten into an argument in the last month?". I take it that would mean your meds are making you emotionally unstable. My big mistake was in actually being honest a few years ago regarding some side effects of my pain meds. I told them that sometimes they make me forgetful. If I were to admit that now I think I would be cut off. I am SC'ed for chronic pain disorder and I get charged for the pills and grilled by the doctors and nurses. I get the distinct impression they are trying to get us all off opiates by hook or by crook.