Actually, this isn't all that uncommon. Most is "out of sight" of the patient as it gets worked out between the doctor and the insurance company. Yes, the *insurance company*. Not the federal government, not Medicare, not some "nameless faceless bureaucrat". When your Medicare Advantage plan plays this game, it is the insurance company, not Medicare screwing with your mind.
It has been going on for quite some time. The insurance companies are the ones who create the problems. In their rush to "manage care", they routinely put all kinds of roadblocks in place to avoid having to authorize and/or pay for all manner of things.
My DW has a prescription that at least once a year the insurance company refuses to pay for claiming that she could be taking a different drug (which oddly is the same price - I've checked). Now she's be on the same drug for 20 years and her doctors had tried alternatives and her doctor has to waste time answering the silly questions from someone who isn't even a trained medical professional.
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