And for Medicare: As of mid 2019-2 medicare denied my first claim ever that didn't fall under the deductible, saying they lacked information, but not *what*.

• They said they lacked unspecified details about my primary insurance (that is through my wife's employer), but did not say *what* info is missing.
• Prior to all this, I had called specifically to make sure they had all info about the primary carrier (through my wife's employer--she is a teacher).
• Yet, after 1.5 hours on the phone in this latest phone call, they could not tell me what info was missing, but said it seemed all there and looking good.
• All the phone reps who could not answer just kept referring me to another, saying it looked like all the info was there, they could not see anything missing.
• *After* 1.5 hours, they informed me that an outside company processes the claims, and we cannot talk to them, to ask them what info they lack.
• The only way to get information from them is by written appeal, and waiting up to months, to find out their response to that appeal.
• The appeal *could not* provide them with the missing info, since no one knows what info is missing, nor can we ask those who might know.
• And so another wait begins, of many weeks, followed by what: another appeal? Will they understand my first appeal?
• And I have no confirmation that they received my appeal, now after some weeks. Did they? It seems I have to wait months to find out, since I cannot ask them??
• If experience with Social Security is an indication, it will take months or years to answer all those questions, maybe longer to finally resolve it.
• And in the meantime, since I am not receiving Social Security income and no one knows why (per the other notes that linked to this), we will have to find...
• ...find another way to pay for the medical care for which I paid medicare premiums out of my own savings, plus the years of no-choice payments from income.
• So basically, everyone I know pays in, but now no benefits, not allowed to talk to those who decided I get no benefits, and no one else knows. Federal "care".
• That is an example of losing freedom to federal control, by taking our tax dollars without *local* choice, giving control to someone I can't even talk to.