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Thank God For Insurance!

penguin

By penguin
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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penguin Community Regular
penguin
Posted

I was casually looking over my health insurance website looking to see if there were any nutritionists took my insurance when I saw a statement of my claims...

HOLY SPIT, BATMAN! :o

The celiac panel cost $625.75 to run!?!?! :blink:

My doctor charges $90 for an office visit?!?!? :blink:

Sorry, I've never had my own insurance before...first real job and all B)

I only had to pay $2.90 out of pocket for my blood test...

Um, anyone know about what a consult with a nutritionist without insurance would cost? My insurance apparently is not very fond of nutritional counseling unless one is diabetic... <_<

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happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted

I had a crappy meeting with a dietician that cost me like $35 out of my own pocket. After having been a diagnosed Celiac for 3 weeks, I knew more than she did. :) I should have never paid, honestly.

Hope that your dietician/nutritionist is worth the $$!

SharonF Contributor
SharonF
Posted

I'm going to echo what Laura said; except I think I paid FIFTY dollars for a useless dietician. Honestly, I think you'd do better to just look at this site. All my dietician did was print me out a bunch of mostly useless lists.

i canary Rookie
i canary
Posted

I paid $100 to find out I need to eat more protein. :angry: I didn't go back for the $50 follow up. (She was recommended as a gluten free diet expert --- she wasn't) :(

Rachel--24 Collaborator
Rachel--24
Posted

I paid nothing to see the nutritionalist...and thats exactly what I got out of it...nothing. I guess I got what I paid for! :rolleyes:

tiffjake Enthusiast
tiffjake
Posted

I paid 30.00 for an allergist specialist that my doc recomended, and this guy told me to do the elimination diet....I was like "excuse me????"....and he wanted me to quit taking my claratin (for allergy reactions in the spring) and come back in 2 weeks for a "scratch test" for another 30.00.....all because I had questions about food allergies and intolerences....what a waste.....BUT, for you, I hope if you do go to a R.D. that you get a good one!

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

When I was diagnosed I was first extremely ill and was in the hopsital for 11 days. Without insurance, my bill would have been almost $40,000. That was just the hospital bill.

richard

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Guest Robbin
Guest Robbin
Posted

Sometimes insurance pays at a different rate for an "out of network" provider. Mine will pay at 75% if it is out of their network. I had my son to alot of different dieticians/nutritionists (we moved alot) and to tell you the truth, I did much better by printing my own lists, researching the libraries, comparing cookbooks, etc. With the internet, you have so many resources AND you know your own body and how different foods affect you. The huge resources on this forum are so helpful because you have the real experiences of a lot of people in the same situation. Actual experience with different menus and food options beats the heck out of someone looking at you and printing out a "cookie cutter" diet plan! Hope this helps and good luck!

mmaccartney Explorer
mmaccartney
Posted

I think you need to argue your case more with your insurance company. In a nutshell, the ONLY treatment available for celiac disease is a gluten free diet! In order to apply that treatment you may need to see a nutrionist or dietician. If you have been formally diagnosed by a docter with Celiac disease, then your doctor can attest that the change in diet is your only medical option, and therefore is medically necesarry. The insurace should cover it at that point.

My guess is that they don't normally cover every person that wants to see a nutrionist or dietician BUT if you have bona fide medical necessity, backed up by your doctor, then I would guess that they have no choice but to cover your visits!!

Find a good one though... In Cleveland Ohio I understand the Trischa Lyons at the Metro Health Center is a registered dietician, and she is very active in the Northeast Ohio Celiac Support Group. I'd have to check to be 100% sure, but I believe she has Celiac disease as well!!!

Let us know how it turns out...

Moongirl Community Regular
Moongirl
Posted

I work for a health insurance company, and I have to say that most people do not know the costs of health care. They did a study and asked people how much they think their doctors visit actually cost, and they said $10!!! They thought it was really the co-pay amount. Well needless to say I think there is going to be a huge change in the way health care is administered in the next 5 or so years.

Anyways to agree with everyone here, I went to a nutrionalist as well, paid my $15 copay and what a waste, she gave me outdated sheets, and told me i had to eat more protein, blablabla. I knew way more than her going into the appt. I agree that this forum has been the most helpful and lifesaving thing. If I were you I would go out and buy a good book on celiac disease instead, much more informational and up to date!

penguin Community Regular
penguin
Posted
  • Author
I work for a health insurance company, and I have to say that most people do not know the costs of health care. They did a study and asked people how much they think their doctors visit actually cost, and they said $10!!! They thought it was really the co-pay amount. Well needless to say I think there is going to be a huge change in the way health care is administered in the next 5 or so years.

Anyways to agree with everyone here, I went to a nutrionalist as well, paid my $15 copay and what a waste, she gave me outdated sheets, and told me i had to eat more protein, blablabla. I knew way more than her going into the appt. I agree that this forum has been the most helpful and lifesaving thing. If I were you I would go out and buy a good book on celiac disease instead, much more informational and up to date!

I have a feeling my insurance would cover a nuritionist if I fought for it, but I'm not officially diagnosed, I'm on a gluten-free challenge to see if that is what's wrong with me.

My doctor wasn't really psyched about giving me a reccomendation. She basically said that I could see a nutritionist if I wanted to, but I was much more likely to find all the information I need on the internet. My doctor is a smart lady ;)

About the insurance thing, I thought my doctor would charge $60-$70 for an office visit, but $90?!?! Dang!

New York state is kind of sneaking socialized medicine through the back door. It started with Child Health Plus, which is state subsidized real insurance (United Heathcare), then they did family health plus, and a program for seniors that did the same thing. It has nothing to do with medicaid, it's for people who make too much for medicaid but don't have insurance. I had it when I was a teenager and it was great.

I've always been really impressed with United, I have them now, and they're fantastic. My mom has it, too and she had a double knee replacement at a top hospital that specializes in joint replacements, and I think she had to pay $2000 for a $200,000 procedure :o . My boss' wife even had stem cell transplants (from her own marrow) covered!

debmidge Rising Star
debmidge
Posted

For us 2.5 yrs ago it cost $160 for nutritionist to tell us what we already found out by medical textbooks and internet sources. Claims her family has celiac in it and knows about it & everything. We weren't impressed. Fortunately we got insurer to reverse their decision and pay for it. So we ended up paying $25 co pay. It wasn't even worth that much.

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