I am almost relieved to find that I am not the only one who has been ripped-off and/or given the runaround by Conexis. I was starting to think that maybe I was doing something wrong, but now I know better. After the hellish nightmare this company has made the year 2009 for me, I know what to do for Open Season when I have to choose my benefits again where I work. I will not be using another FSA plan as long as I am with my current employer, and no matter what, in the future I will make DAMN sure that the company I deal with is NOT Conexis.
This was not the company my employer originally offered as our FSA vendor. The previous company could be a little hard to deal with, but for the most part they were fairly prompt when it came to dealing with time-sensitive paperwork - processing in and crediting receipts, claim forms, that sort of thing. Then they changed vendors to Conexis. I wasn't happy about already having to deal with a new company, but my experience with the previous vendor overall had not been that bad, plus I had some health issues I knew I needed to deal with, so having an FSA account would be a benefit I knew I would definitely use. I signed up with Conexis, and applied for the full FSA benefit. What that means is that you can have a certain amount taken out of your pay each period to "charge up your account" to the amount you specified, up to just shy of $10,000. I decided that I would probably need that much in the coming year - I have sleep apnea and hypertension, so I am on medication and have a CPAP machine that needs supplies on a regular basis. My account with Conexis is accessed via their branded VISA card that can be used for medical purposes only, (co-pays, OTC meds and prescriptions, etc.)
January 1st of this year rolls around, and everything's fine... So far. As long as I dealt with prescription meds, approved medical purchases and co-pays at the doctor's office, everything went smoothly. I even had one considerable procedure done - a full body scan - and the payment for that went through without a hitch. Nothing that was urgent, but everything seemed fine.
Then I had my first really serious procedure done. And I got my first real taste of how Conexis abuses its position and its customers.
I had a procedure done at a local dentist's office. A new guy, one I don't usually go to because getting to my 'old' dentist is an hour's trip by commuter train, so I decided to try someone closer to home. His office specializes in "sedation dentistry", where they knock you out and perform an extensive amount of work at the same time, rather than have you come in for multiple visits. I have a lot of work that needs to be done, so I liked the idea. On the day that I had a consultation with the dentist, he explained to me that everything needed to be paid for upfront. The charges would be applied for both the consultation and the procedures at the same time, because you are so wonky from the anesthesia the day of the procedure, and state regs require that all your paperwork be taken care of in advance... A safeguard to make sure that you're not "taken advantage of" while under sedation.
So I gave the office manager my FSA card, the charge was approved for all I knew, I signed off on it, and went on about my business. I showed up for my appointment, the work was done, everything was fine. Or so I thought.
The week following the procedure, I get a call from my new dentist's office - Conexis is challenging the charge, saying it was unauthorized. Which I thought was impossible, because when you use your FSA charge card to pay for purchases not authorized by the company, it's usually declined. I've seen it happen before with OTC meds not on their list.
But not a couple of days later, I get that letter from them, sure enough, saying that they won't be paying the charge. I call them, and after a long-enough runaround, I finally talk to a human being who I can ask about what's going on. It's explained to me that it's the fault of the doctor's office - that because I also have Delta Dental, they have to determine first what share of the cost will be covered by Delta and what they will cover afterwards, but they need to see the doctor's perio charts on the dates designated for the procedure, they need itemized billing of what work was done, etc.
This was all back in April.
THIS IS NOW OCTOBER. Some TWO DOZEN SETS of paperwork, more phone calls and more yelling and arguing than I care to document here, not to mention the endless negotiations between the dentist's office, Delta Dental and Conexis, I am NO CLOSER to a resolution than I was back in April. My FSA card has been frozen, Conexis claims I now owe them about $800 before the card can be re-activated, yet they are still continually sucking money out of my paychecks and even if the card IS reactivated, the balance on it that has to be used - or lost - before January 31st of next year is a little over $5000. Money that I can't use to complete the dental procedures I need, because now when I send in manual claim forms for so much as a $4.00 air filter for my CPAP machine, EVERYTHING now is refused. I get letters inquiring about billing codes, itemized paperwork and confirmation of service forms for things that you wouldn't be able to find at a doctor's office anyway.
This probably isn't making a lot of sense, but to outline this whole debacle in detail, I would practically have to write a novel about the lack of consistency, professionalism and just BASIC CUSTOMER SERVICE that Conexis has displayed.
The moral of the story? STICK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE. I would warn anybody now... If any health problems you have can wait long enough, save up your own money to take care of things. DO NOT sign up with an FSA account at work... And ESPECIALLY if it's Conexis. You'll be at the mercy of whatever services you can access through your existing medical and dental plans, but TRUST ME... You'll be much better off, and much less poorer. And SANER in the long run.
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