[Diabetes-talk] Have you gone thru this?

[blindhands at aol.com]

Well first the good news:

My United Health Care has approved getting me the Medtronic 530 B insulin
pump!  This is the new one that will turn off when your blood sugar goes to
low.  I don't know what other bells and whistles it has.  Someone mentioned
here that this is the only pump that can do this?

This is what I really need as I have had a lot of low blood sugars and have
been found on the floor by my son being unconscious for 3 to 4 hours.

Now the horrible and are they crazy?
They denied the CGM to this machine.  So much for it turning off when my
blood sugar goes too low.  But,
I was advised by the American Diabetes Association to contact my state
advocacy  department which I had done and was assigned a person that will
handle the denial.  I got the form in like Johnny on the Spot.  When she
called me I told her I did not get a denial letter as MedTronics was
dragging their feet on it.  They wanted me to put in for the older machine
as the United Health Care would approve that machine.

So I will be starting the battle to see if they change their minds and go
for the thing that I really need and the endocrinologist is recommending.

Has any one tried fighting a denial?  

If you call up Medtronics and get put on hold they have an advertisement
going that states United Health Care supportsMedtronics 530 G insulin pump.
When I asked the insurance person she did not even know that was on their
phone line.

I did ask her, if the apt works with voiceover and she told me she did not
know and would ask around.  I did not get that answer from her either.

Advise, Advise Advise, please let me know your experience with a denial.
Supposely United Health Care goes by Medicare rules.  So that is why the
first denial.

Joyce