Out of state & making sure I understand BCBS correctly??
I’m in my early 20s on my mother’s health insurance plan that she receives through her employer (she lives & works in Illinois). The insurance card says BCBS of Illinois, PPO with the suitcase symbol. I’ve been a resident of Oregon for a few years & I’m getting a gender-affirming surgery done here.
Throughout the process of getting my prior authorization, my surgeon’s office has referred to my insurance as “Regence”, & I haven’t asked for clarification or tried to correct them (I know I should have lol, but I always either didn’t catch it/was anxious/overwhelmed/self-conscious/etc). They don’t schedule your surgery date until the PA has gone through.
Because it was taking awhile & they suggested I do so, I called the surgeon’s office to check in after 4 weeks (it’s supposed to take 2-4), & when they said they hadn’t heard back from my insurance, I called the relevant number on my BCBSIL card, & the guy there said he didn’t see anything on file, but would look into it. I’m not sure what to do at this point, few days pass, & then boom, suddenly I get the call to schedule my surgery date.
From googling around a bit, I take it that because Regence is under/a part of BCBS overall, I can essentially treat it as the same thing, thanks to being on a plan that allows me to do so? And the billing just gets routed from the local (Regence) to the home state (BCBSIL) company. I got an estimate for the surgeon’s fee over the phone that sounds like my insurance covered it properly, and double-checked on the BCBS website to see that my surgeon was there (she is đ). So it sounds like everything should be covered properly, & I’ve successfully learned a little more about how my insurance works in the process? Seeking reassurance/please correct me if I’m wrong!
Bonus question: Are these extra steps why my prior authorizations take so damn long? đ
