I AM NEITHER A COMPUTER GURU NOR AN INTERNET NOVICE.
I AM spoiled having been a technical writer for more than a few years, writing — among other things ‐ how to use a web site. I always validated the instructions before releasing them “into the wild.”
I’M BACK WITH HUMANA’s Medicare advantage plan — second time around — and already I’m unhappy with the company. We are “stuck” with each other “for the duration” than runs until 12/31/2019.
You might justifiably ask, if I was sufficiently disenchanted with Humana in the past to leave it, why did I return?
Two reasons.
- It has my specialists on its roster AND I found a PCP who claims he is willing to refer me to those specialists.
It is more cost effective than the only other Advantage plan I considered, AvMed. AvMed overcharges for my medications.
Anthem’s Simply Medicare Advantage plan’s OTC order process via the WWW was straight forward. Unfortunately, Simply had too many disadvantages for me to stay with it.
Log in, go to the OTC page, select the products, confirm client information and done.
My first experience with Humana’s OTC site was frustrating.
First of all, instructions are wrong. Users are told to go to a linked page and click on a specific title.
The link does NOT go to the page and when he user finally gets to the page, the title is different. Not by much, but “enough.”
BY-THE-NUMBERS WAY I “DISCOVERED”
- In looking for something else (How to Contact Humana) I “discovered” the easy way to get to the OTC page. Sign in. Select My Profile in the gray banner at the top of the page, then select any of the drop-down menu options. When the page is displayed, scroll to the bottom of the page under the green Humana bar. Find > Tools and resources then click on Humana Pharmacy Mailorder Rx When a new page is displayed, scroll down to the green bar under Humana Pharmacy and click on Shop Products near the right side of the green bar. Select Over-the-Counter (OTC) items from the drop-down list. See following images.
Humana, obviously in an effort to make life simple for its clients presents its OTC products by category. Click on an icon and see what’s available in that specific category.
Simply, on the other hand, also categorized, but in one long list.
Making life as difficult as possible, Humana fails to allow uses to search for a product. Users may select High or Low price, but searching for a specific product is not available.
Interestingly, there are products listed on Humana’s paper document that are not available to the on-line form. The OTC offering, like the formulary offerings, is “subject to change.” Worst case, I can go to a local outlet and buy the product on my own. The product may show up on next month’s OTC offerings.
The OTC benefit is nice, and Humana must offer it to be competitive; Medicare Advantage is a highly competitive — and lucrative — business, especially in areas with large geezer populations.
Humana has one more deficiency.
Customer Service.
A client can call Customer Service.
A client can mail a paper letter to Customer Service.
A client cannot email to customer service.
Subscribers (clients) CAN “chat” with a Humana representative.
Unfortunately, only email provides a two-way multi-exchange communication history in one file.
PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.
Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.
BCPLANNER: Comments on Humana
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