I've had my insurance from Aetna through Medicaid for over a week now. I have yet to successfully arrange for any medical care.
In my welcome packet, they made it clear that they would very much prefer for me to engage with my account and services through their website. I signed up pretty eagerly since I'd rather self-service online than make phone calls.
The website has allowed me to login twice. Every other time, I get an error with no explanation and an exhortation to "try again later."
Yesterday, frustrated with the website, I decided to call the number I'd been given for the doctor that had been assigned as my primary care physician. When I spoke to the receptionist, I learned that this doctor is not accepting new patients at this time.
Absent the ability to login to the website, I have no means through which to arrange a different primary care doctor through Aetna. Nor any means through which to try to make an appointment with a specialist.
The phone system continuously (and frustratingly in my case) reminds you that you can do all the things you need to do through the website or app. Otherwise, it's a voice response system. However, it turns out that repeatedly pressing "0" no matter what the robot says eventually connects you with an actual person.
The rep I spoke to verified that there was no problem with my account and that it was just the website that wasn't working properly. She also told me she was sending me a list of primary care doctors in my area. But, she didn't clearly tell me what I'm supposed to do with this list. I asked if I'm supposed to call one up and try to schedule an appointment and her audio cut out as she was giving me a response. I asked her to repeat herself and she mumbled something unintelligible and assured me the email was on its way. That call ended several minutes before I started typing this entry and the email has not yet arrived.
It feels like every single thing that I need to accomplish in life right now is hidden behind arbitrary, meaningless, and ridiculous barriers that are beyond my control. It shouldn't take a week for someone to figure out how to use their health coverage, but I've been so flummoxed by the inoperable website and mostly useless phone system that I keep giving up in exasperation.
