Pacificare Blues

I think if I would have known how hard Pacificare would make it for me to try to get them to approve my surgery, I would have stopped eating food at the age of 12. That is literally how hard they are making it for me to get approved. They will not cover my surgery unless I can get it approved through them by 12/31/03. I started out in the beginning of November calling them to see what it is that I had to do. I followed their every step from getting my PCP to refer me to a surgeon. Scheduled my surgeon, nutritionist and Psychologist. Saw all of them earlier this week. Paperwork complete. Now here enter the circus music, my surgeon's office calls the prior authorization department at Pacificare and is told that now, if I am not scheduled to have my surgery in 2003, they won't pay for it. Even if they authorize me to pay for it in 2003, I have to have the surgery within the next few days. Mind you they told me on several phone calls to them that if I can get the ok for the surgery in 2003, the surgery can take place in early 2004. I would have started my process much earlier but I just received my insurance in October and I just learned of this surgery from my PCP in Novemeber. Please take my advise, don't ever try to call them for advice. It's like calling a mental institution and the patients answer the phone just after they took their meds. 17 different phone calls and every one of them told me that if I got the ok in 2003, surgery can happen in early 2004. Now that we are actually submitting the paperwork for them to review, they change their tune. A word to the wise, I wouldn't use Pacificare to cover a papercut.