DOUBLE WOW!
ABC11 news interview came out last night on my latest insurance battle for the seat elevator on my wheelchair.
https://abc11.com/health/troubleshooter-helps-raleigh-quadriplegic-with-insurance-denials/6321814/
Such a great advocacy tool for all of us us out there who are trying to get the right equipment in our home to survive!
And on we go … I’ll keep pushing with the help of so many wonderful folks guiding me 😎
As I was lying in bed last night the metaphorical wheels were turning in my head with respect to the next move I am planning on making towards my advocacy mission with getting durable medical equipment and services paid for by Goliath health insurance companies. My mind unexpectedly wandered off into the most unlikely of places. I needed to wind down my brain to try and overcome my insomnia when I started giggling out loud.
Somehow I started reflecting on some of the most embarrassing moments I’ve endured over the last 10 years living this life in a wheelchair. When living with a spinal cord injury there are a 1,001 things that can go wrong in your life on a daily basis, most of which are frustrating, dangerous, embarrassing, and suck the life out of you, but I find there can be humor in most situations.
Whenever I read other people’s blogs, websites, stories, etc. I find the ones most interesting who share their personal experiences in a raw form because so many of us can relate to those moments. If you do not have a disability, I’m sure what I’m about to share with you will hopefully make you laugh, perhaps shy away from reading a certain sentence or paragraph, but at the very least will make you appreciate some of what many of us with varying disabilities deal with on a daily basis. If you do have a disability I’m sure you can relate to at least one of my stories!
Without further ado, I’ve invited myself to a “Roasting” as they say in the celebrity business. Continue reading
SOO EXITING …
News & Observer media article now out on my battle for medically necessary equipment.
ABC 11 news story should be out next week. Just the beginning of a very long journey to advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves!
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article243953657.html
Over the last several months I’ve engaged in a head-to-head battle with my insurance company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBS), for a critical function on my power wheelchair called the seat elevator. The seat elevator was deemed not medically necessary by my insurance company and after multiple appeals I was sent a final denial letter by BCBS.
Last week I wrote an article outlining the various steps I have taken over the previous several months in fighting with BCBS over approving my seat elevator for a power wheelchair in regards to the process I have been through, why the seat elevator is medically necessary in my situation, tips and tricks for others, and my overall strategy (https://pushliving.com/the-fight-for-survival-health-insurance-battle-tactics-for-medically-necessary-services-part-2/.) I was in the process of pursuing an external review with the North Carolina Department of Insurance to overturn BCBS’s final denial of my seat elevator. Every state has its own Department of Insurance who sends your external review to an independent review board.
I’ve been through the appeals process many times over the last ten years of being injured, but this time was different. I went a step above and beyond to reach out to local news stations, wrote letters to the CEO BCBS NC, and had several folks working on the internal side. I’m not sure which avenue yielded this welcome and frustrating result, but here’s what happened:
Read the rest on Push Living Magazine: https://pushliving.com/the-fight-for-survival-health-insurance-battle-for-medically-necessary-wheelchair-seat-elevator-final-decision/
