Rebecca Z.
Won't approve daughters prescribed medication.
Aetna won't approve the medication that our daughters doctor prescribed for her even though it's the only one that works for her. My daughter has been on ADHD medication for the past 2 year and it was working for her. Yes, we still have to teach her appropriate behavior but the medication was working and helping her. My husbands company switched insurance because of how many complaints they were getting with the old insurance so they got Aetna instead. And yes, the former insurance company was difficult to deal with but they approved the doctors prescribed medications and treatments. Aetna immediately denied her medication because of costs. Told us to try cheaper ones and if they didn't work then they would cover the original medication with the doctors prior approval. Why does the doctor have to send in a prior approval when he's the one that prescribed it in the first place!? This makes no sense to me. For the past 8 months we have tried 4 different medications and either they don't work or the side effects are so bad that we don't want her on it. (IE, loss of appetite and losing weight when she's already a low weight, mood swings, extreme irritability, crying and not knowing why, etc.) She is so frustrated about this whole thing when she was already on something that worked. We are too! The insurance still won't approve the original medications because apparently the doctor didn't fill out the form right? When I called to talk to them I was told that if even one little thing on the form the doctor fills out is not to Aetna's liking it would be denied. What? Yes, the medication is $500 a month but IT WORKS! I feel so sorry for those who are getting denied who have terminal and chronic illnesses just because of costs. I wouldn't recommend this company for ANYONE!