Ambulance coverages

[davburke]

You will find few people defending Teamcare. It is worse than the previous insurance for most people but it is what it is so you need to read and understand what it does and doesn't cover. Not rely on what someone who isn't even covered by Teamcare tells you.

I agree

 

[upschuck]

I called Teamcare.yesterday morning to verify ambulance coverages and the lady kept going on and on about under no circumstances are we charged anything for ambulance. I told her my situation and she was surprised. she put me on hold to talk to her supervisor and it took awhile for them to figure it out and they seemed surprised. I told the president of my Local and he seemed very shocked and he's saying it doesn't sound right

https://myteamcare.org/media/109158/u1_and_u3_pbp_2_0.pdf

Not hard to find summary of benefits. Says in plain sight, "Subject to medical necessity review"

The most expensive options are not going to be covered 100%.

 

[ski or die]

Retired and on Medicare now, past 65. Recently needed my first ever ambulance ride. Medicare paid 100%. Luckily, turned 65 just about time TeamCare kicked in. Thank goodness I don't have to use it.

 

[olroadbeech]

You gotta do what you feel is right for you. Don't want to play that shoulda woulda coulda game afterwards.

exactly. the OP did the right thing for himself. do you know how many people die from heart attacks that ignored pain because they thought it was indigestion?

 

[East coast navy]

Who gives a crap why he went in the ambulance. They shouldn't have charged him.

 

[BigUnionGuy]

here in the west emergencies are covered 100 %. you can always negotiate the bill after waiting for 4-5 notices to pay and then wait for "final" notice before collection. they will take 20 cents on the dollar. better than nothing for them.

medical costs are way out of hand. my mother used to work at a hospital and she told me your bill is paying for the many people that don't pay. therefore they will almost always negotiate .

you should also have the right to appeal your bill with the insurance. ask questions. call and pester. don't take NO for an answer.

you can also ask them to write off the bill. my spouse was in the hospital after a stroke for 4 days and the bill came out to 38,000 dollars. insurance paid 90 %. ( or close to that ). they wanted around 4 grand. i went down there and told told them they got around 35 grand for 4 days and should be happy with what the insurance paid and if they could just write off the rest.

she agreed that we did have very good insurance and they agreed to write it off.

Words of wisdom.

Vigorously, protest the charges.

A fever... I mean it's common sense. Unless you have blood coming out of your eyes and potentially Ebola infected it's just a fever

Not everyone, can "self diagnose" medical issues.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prednisone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunosuppressive_drug


Decreased immunity (due to prescription medicine) can accelerate things.

Certain strains of the "flu".... can take out an entire work area.


Things to consider....



-Bug-

 

[brownmonster]

Who gives a crap why he went in the ambulance. They shouldn't have charged him.

Exactly why healthcare costs so much. If you had to pay out of pocket you would take 2 aspirin and ....

 

[East coast navy]

Exactly why healthcare costs so much. If you had to pay out of pocket you would take 2 aspirin and ....

If I didn't listen to my wife when my son had a fever of 104.4 and gave him Childens Advil which didn't bring his fever down. I would have waited it out or drove him to the hospital because it was a Sunday. I was wrong! Instead we called 911 becouse we couldn't get a doctor on the phone. They said to put him in mild cold water in a tub until the ambulance came. I was like this is crazy. I was wrong! When we got to the hospital we found out he had a fever 104.4 with bronchitis, phenomenon, and two ear infections. The doctor said you did the right thing because the fever wouldn't go down and he need IV Fluids. If we went to the family doctor they would have done the same thing. If I was being my bass pole self he could have gotten brain damage. Some times you just don't know. We are not in the old days any more. Loved ones can be saved with better meds then ever. Isn't worth it. It's pretty said to see all you guys attack this guy for this. Sorry to say it!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Exactly why healthcare costs so much. If you had to pay out of pocket you would take 2 aspirin and ....

When our health fund added a $100 ER co-pay our ER costs went down dramatically.

 

[anHOURover]

When our health fund added a $100 ER co-pay our ER costs went down dramatically.

Company plan was much better and your plan does not compare! FACT

 

[BigUnionGuy]

Company plan was much better

There is no doubt.... you are a "total" company .

FACT.



-Bug-

 

[realbrown1]

There is no doubt.... you are a "total" company .

FACT.



-Bug-

He is right.

The company plan was better.

We got shafted by H and H and our brothers already in teamcare that didn't give a crap about us.

But I understand that a H and H like you, won't see that.

 

[ManInBrown]

You took ambulance for the flu?

I've almost had to

Yeah that's not a medical necessity for an ambulance.

It is if you're single and have no family living with you. I was in the same situation a few winters ago. Horrible flu. 102 temperature. All the sudden felt faint. Live alone. I'm not driving to the hospital risking fainting at the wheel.

 

[Orion inc.]

there are a lot of people who will attack anyone for anything because it makes them feel big and important.

And there are many people who make up stories about what they've done to get attention on the Internet.

You've been proven over and over to be that person.

 

[Benben]

Last month I called 911 and an ambulance picked me up. I just called Teamcare a moment ago to verify ambulance coverages and at the beginning of the conversation she went on and on about how ambulance is 100% coverage for everything. Now she is saying that the ambulance that picked me up was out of network and team care will only cover a certain amount and I am responsible for the rest???

Look, just tell Teamcare that you think this is wrong and if they don't fix it AND send you written verification of the correction in the next 15 days you will file a complaint with your state's insurance regulatory department.

 

[BigUnionGuy]

When our health fund added a $100 ER co-pay our ER costs went down dramatically.

It's funny you say that.

One complaint about TeamCare is (now) having to go to an Urgent Care instead.


The other good one is;

"we have to work 1 day a week for our benefits to be paid".


Wow....

The company plan was better.

We got shafted by H and H and our brothers already in teamcare that didn't give a crap about us.

Interesting observation.


There is that elitist UPS attitude, shining through.

TeamCare is good enough for our Union Brothers.... but not for US.



-Bug-

 

[Lead Belly]

I once contacted viral meningitis from what was believed to be a mosquito bite. I had a throbbing pounding headache for three days. I workers 10 hours a day through this pain. I just thought it would go away. After about the third day it go so bad that I had triple vision. My wife and I had two kids under three and know family to call at 1:00am. So I decided to drive myself to the emergency room. Not a wise move!! I made it there safely God bless they immediately took me back did a spinal tap and figured out what I had. They said my brain had swollen.

I just didn't want to go in an ambulance. The thought of going in one of those isn't for me. I had to stay in the hospital for five days and it was awesome because I got to watch tv and get a great from everything. Missed two weeks of work because I was so sick. My friends all said why didn't you call them to drive you if you didn't want to go in an ambulance? I said I don't don't want to get them sick but I just didn't want to ask. I'm a big boy who's scared of going anywhere in an ambulance.


I also cut my thumb really bad this summer. Pretty big chunk of skin hanging. Bleeding like a mother. I decided to just bite the chunk of skin off. It bled for about three hours as I wrapped it with everything I could. My wife came home and saw it freaked out and made me go too the emergency room. They cleaned it up and asked me why I bite off the skin that they could have stitched up. I said I always do that. Just never that big a piece. So they made some kind of mesh to stop it.


The moral of the story is some people need to use the ambulance. If you do I respect it. I'm sorry the coverage isn't what it once was but people ruin it for everyone by using it excessively. So just work around it.


Ps I'm scared of ambulances. People that go in those things die a lot. They aren't for me.

 

[BigUnionGuy]

The moral of the story is some people need to use the ambulance. If you do I respect it. I'm sorry the coverage isn't what it once was but people ruin it for everyone by using it excessively.

Couldn't have said it any better.



-Bug-

 

[PiedmontSteward]

It's funny you say that.

One complaint about TeamCare is (now) having to go to an Urgent Care instead.


The other good one is;

"we have to work 1 day a week for our benefits to be paid".


Wow....






Interesting observation.


There is that elitist UPS attitude, shining through.

TeamCare is good enough for our Union Brothers.... but not for US.



-Bug-

At the end of the day, TeamCare is better healthcare coverage than what's offered to the overwhelming majority of the American workforce. Claiming that it's "" and "garbage" insurance is completely inaccurate and shows a startling ignorance at the state of the rest of the unionized (and non-unionized) workforce in this country.

That being said, it's absolutely "not as good" as the old company plan (not that we really had the option to stay on the company plan in the first place) and I'm constantly having to check op reports in my area to make sure senior part-timers with families that are out for various non-covered reasons (taking layoffs/call-ins instead of disability is a common one) to make sure they don't lose their insurance by missing their 1 punch a week. It's not difficult to go out on short term disability, but it's pretty startling just how many people are unaware of the 1 punch a week rule.

And while TeamCare -- at the end of the day -- takes more out of my pocket than the old company plan, it's a better strategic choice for us as a whole. Rolling the PT workforce at UPS into TeamCare provides millions of dollars for the plan from participants that are typically younger and without families, helping to subsidize the other participants. Additionally, from what I've been told, we would be covered during a possible strike situation down the road rather than the local unions (many of which are completely unable to do so, financially) having to make COBRA payments.

We've also seen some recent minor improvements including covering immunizations and child wellness visits -- completely inexcusable (from both an ethical and fiduciary standpoint) for a healthcare plan NOT to cover these in the first place, to be fair.

 

[251]

Yeah that's not a medical necessity for an ambulance.

The term "Medically Necessary" is not as clear cut as you think it is.

Example: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/...ange-Surgery-is-Medically-Necessary-Revisited