OT Medicare supplement insurance

cancun wrote:I am not on Medicare but my insurance forces us to get all maintenance drugs from their mail order so my insulin comes next day packed in a Styrofoam cooler but requires a signature so if I am not home UPS keeps it on their truck and several times by the time I get it It is warm. I have asked the UPS guy to just sign it and leave it at my door. He says he will but never does. Yet my Vicodin will come and they just leave that in the mailbox! Go figure!

If you haven't already, sign up for a UPS account. One of the options you have available is to request deliveries be left even when sig is required. This has to be done on a per shipment basis. At least I think this can be done. I know I've seen something on this order on their web site but since I've never needed to pursue I haven't become familiar with the details.

Have you asked the mail order pharmacy specifically to not require a signature for delivery? They may be able to do that for you. If they won't, ask them for chapter and verse in FDA regulations, or their policies, or wherever, where signature is required. If they cannot show you a specific documented requirement, then it's not a requirement.

idamtnboy wrote:

cancun wrote:I am not on Medicare but my insurance forces us to get all maintenance drugs from their mail order so my insulin comes next day packed in a Styrofoam cooler but requires a signature so if I am not home UPS keeps it on their truck and several times by the time I get it It is warm. I have asked the UPS guy to just sign it and leave it at my door. He says he will but never does. Yet my Vicodin will come and they just leave that in the mailbox! Go figure!

If you haven't already, sign up for a UPS account. One of the options you have available is to request deliveries be left even when sig is required. This has to be done on a per shipment basis. At least I think this can be done. I know I've seen something on this order on their web site but since I've never needed to pursue I haven't become familiar with the details.

Have you asked the mail order pharmacy specifically to not require a signature for delivery? They may be able to do that for you. If they won't, ask them for chapter and verse in FDA regulations, or their policies, or wherever, where signature is required. If they cannot show you a specific documented requirement, then it's not a requirement.

Thanks, I will check that out!

I know that UPS drivers often fail to ring the doorbell or knock.
They just drop the box and scamper. Always complain when this happens.

chunkyfrog wrote:I know that UPS drivers often fail to ring the doorbell or knock.
They just drop the box and scamper. Always complain when this happens.

That's a result of the oh so prevalent American business ethic of money first, customer second. I understand the drivers are under pressure to get deliveries done as fast as possible. Been that way for years. I sent a large bulky package to my son years ago. It sat by the gate 50 feet from the house front door in the snow for several days until my wife asked him if he'd gotten it. He had to go look for it. They always used the back door and didn't see the package.

chunkyfrog wrote:I know that UPS drivers often fail to ring the doorbell or knock.
They just drop the box and scamper. Always complain when this happens.

Around here, it's the FedEx drivers who seem to avoid any human contact. If they don't drop it on the porch and run, they leave it at the Post Office.
The last thing that was shipped to us by FedEx (big heavy box) came from Connecticut, but in Colorado, they switched it to USPS for the rest of the trip.

I HATE FEDEX!!!


Den

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chunkyfrog wrote:I called over a month ago, our appointment is still over a week away.
Maybe they will bring in more help.
Last year, it looked like they were just rubber-stamping Humana.

If you are talking about SHIP they should not be "rubber stamping" any particular plan. You can complain. It may be that there are limited advantage plans in your area if that's what you were seeking, or limited plans at the level you were seeking. But you do have a broad array of options and they should be clear about that.

As they are staffed by volunteers it is often a wait during open enrollment. Check to see if they are doing any group presentations in your area as often they explain a lot in those seminars.

Just Plan D (drugs).
"Advantage" plans are cheap for a reason. You get what you pay for.

Fep insurance as a supplement is awesome. Probably the best out there. Yes it comes with an expense, but having the confidence in a plan that pays almost everything even if Medicare denies is worth it imho.

FYI: FEP=federal employees.
I worked for county government, and before Medicare, the only choice was COBRA.
Talk about a bad case of snakebite!
I waited to retire when I could AFFORD to; because I had no real choice.

> do we know that our local pharmacies are getting their drugs much differently?

I suppose it depends on the drugstore. I have been at a large national chain when their delivery guy arrived. He works for that company. He delivers from a regional hub. He drove an American made van, which surely has air conditioning. The styrofoam box he delivered into this store appeared to have ice packs in it.

> my insulin comes next day packed in a Styrofoam cooler

It's common for "injectables" to have ice packs and to be shipped next or two day delivery. The problem is the day of the week that it was shipped. If delivery crosses a weekend, it's sitting somewhere where it's not air conditioned, and the ice packs get warm. It's two _business_ days.

> my insurance forces us to get all maintenance drugs from their mail order

That's common, unfortunately. It ought to be illegal.

Some mail order pharmacies like Caremark have local retail stores (CVS) and allow pickup there.