At our last Doctor’s appointment, at 15.5 weeks, it seemed like our doctor was in and out of the room in 30 seconds flat. As he was leaving the room, he said, “See ya’ in 4 weeks.” I was waiting for him to say something about our ultrasound, since I’d be 19.5 weeks and the standard ultrasound is done between 18 and 22 weeks, but he didn’t and then he was out the door. Looking back, I should have stopped him and asked, but I honestly don’t think I actually believed that he was leaving the room already – he never even asked if we had any new questions or concerns!!
I like my doctor and understand (or at least try to) that he has all kinds of interruptions and lots of appointments crammed into the day. We didn’t have any pressing questions, and I know that if I had stopped him and asked, he would have taken the time to thoroughly answer all of our questions.
But…I’d had it in my head that we’d get to have our ultrasound in January. We want to find out the gender – I’m a planner!! And I’m also the type of person who likes concrete evidence, not abstract ideas, so, I want to see BabyMort!! I called the Doctor’s office yesterday to ask about scheduling one. She asked who our insurance provider is, I said Blue Cross Blue Shield, and she immediately responded with, “They don’t cover ultrasounds unless the doctor says one is medically necessary.” I told her that I had been told by my doctor that I’d have one between 18-22 weeks to check on the development. She, again, just responded with, “BCBS doesn’t cover ultrasounds unless the doctor says one is medically necessary.”
I was thinking, “It seems to me like checking on the development of a baby and getting a better idea of the due date is medically necessary,” but I didn’t want to fight with the receptionist. It wasn’t going to get me anywhere. So, I said okay and hung up. Then, I complained to my husband and friends, because it wasn’t fair (mature, I know) and asked friends who had been pregnant before about their experience. BCBS is one of the most common providers in Iowa, so I was having a tough time believing that our plan, which is the best option the hotel offers, wouldn’t cover 1 ultrasound. Everyone I asked told me it was ridiculous that I wouldn’t get a standard ultrasound around 20 weeks, so at least I didn’t feel like I was being a crazy, hormonal pregnant woman!!
Today, my Knight in Shining Armor arrived – aka DaddyMort. He called the insurance company, who told him that 1 ultrasound is covered as well as any others deemed necessary by the doctor (just not an ‘elective’ ultrasound if, for example, the sex can’t be determined at this first one.) When he explained that our Doctor’s office was telling us it wasn’t, they conducted a 3-way call between them, DaddyMort, and the Doctor’s office.
It’s amazing how the story can change when the insurance company is on the line. The exact same receptionist told DaddyMort that “of course you have 1 ultrasound covered. And even if you didn’t, we’d never tell someone they couldn’t get an ultrasound. We’d always give the option of having one, but paying out of pocket.” That is so not the conversation that had transpired 24 hours prior!! But, I’m a grown woman who is about to have a baby, so I’m going to try to look past all of this, and just be happy that the situation has been straightened out!!
After a stern warning from DaddyMort to be nice to the receptionist (see above about being a grown woman…), I called and rescheduled our next appointment for a few days later so that we could have our ultrasound at the same time. The big day is Thursday, January 15th. As long as BabyMort cooperates, we’ll know (and share) if we’re having a boy or a girl in just a couple weeks!!
MamaMort 