Patients and Physicians Speak Out

Why do insurance companies have more power over our health than us and our doctors?

My experience with prior authorizations, like that of so many Americans, has been horrendous to say the least. I have literally waited an entire week for simple medications ... It has proven absolutely detrimental to getting proper medical treatment and has negatively impacted my own personal recovery many times over. It has gotten so far out of control that even a simple antibiotic such as 'Amoxicillin' now requires prior authorizations and it's even in its generic form!?!

As a pharmacist working for Wal-Mart, I had an elderly lady with terminal cancer present a prescription for pain medication on a Friday evening only to have the health plan require prior authorization. When I called them, explaining her situation, they responded that there was nothing they could do until Monday. The lady went without her pain medication until Monday when the health plan got back to us.

I have the gene that makes my cholesterol go extremely high and diet or exercise won’t help. I cannot take statins. I have tried it all. The only medicine that I can take is Repatha. I have been trying since this last October to get my Repatha refill…I am still in the waiting process; my cholesterol is now high again from the waiting game because of this prior authorization. These prior authorizations are putting people at high unnecessary health risks. Please help to put a stop to this method.

I am a nurse practitioner. I see this every day, in many different ways. One of the biggest problems I face is that one insurance company has made it a policy that they will not approve liquid antibiotics for anyone over the age of 11. I have several patients with G-tubes that can NOT swallow. I have to do a prior authorization every time to get liquid antibiotics.

Prior authorization is a dirty word in my book. This last time, I needed a medication I had previously been on for about 14 years. I had to stop it previously, as it became unavailable. I used another medication in its place and did not do well. The first medication became available again and I asked that it be prescribed once again. Done! That was on February 12. Through a mess of wrong phone numbers, wrong fax numbers, being away from home, etc. etc. etc. I just got the prior authorization yesterday on March 29. Took 6 weeks. Thank goodness it was not heart medicine. I think prior authorization is a ridiculous thing. If your doctor, in whose hands your life stands, thinks you need it, that should be it.