[Texas-T]

Hey Hucky,

It's not that simple...
The problem is that in the US Aetna is the ONLY insurance company who pays for the surgery off the bat. In the US your employer picks which plans you can choose from since they bear the brunt of the costs. Unless your employer has Aetna (or even a more favorable ins. company) as an option you can't switch.

Also, if you have a workers compensation claim that is with a seperate insurance company and system.... I don't think you can ever switch companies.... it can be a very messed up system.... this is why people wait and suffer for years.

Once denied you're only recourse is to appeal the insurance companies decision and many people would argue that insurance companies have an unfair advantage in this process. The appeal process takes months.... at least 30 days per appeal and most people have 3 or 4 appeals.

You could quit your job and go to a company who has Aetna as a provider option (I considered this), but if you are so bad off that you need surgery you probably aren't well enough to work and obtain a new job. Also, if you switch companies you lose your disability in most cases.

I was very lucky and was able to switch because of a qualifying event at work. It was so bad though, that my boyfriend and I joked about getting married so that I could obtain coverage under his plan as his spouse if I couldn't get coverage on my own. Welcome to the US health system!