Self advocacy
Getting heard in
a ten minute appointment.
Most people are not refused outright. They run out of time, lose the thread, or leave without asking the thing they came to ask. That is a fixable problem, and it is largely a matter of preparation.
The STRONG framework
This is the framework our Executive Director developed for self-advocacy in medical appointments and insurance appeals. The letters stand for six steps.
- Stop. Before the appointment, work out the one thing you most need an answer to. Write it down.
- Think. Decide what you already know and what you are guessing at. Bring the dates, the numbers, and the denial letter if you have one.
- Respond. Answer the question you were asked, then return to yours. Appointments drift, and returning to the question is usually all it takes.
- Offer clarity. Say plainly what you want, rather than hoping it will be inferred. "I would like to be referred" is a request. "I have been struggling" is not.
- Navigate. If the answer is no, ask what would make it a yes, and who decides. That question turns a refusal into a route.
- Grow. Write down what happened afterwards while you still remember it. It is the record you will need for an appeal.
When the answer is an insurance denial
A denial is a decision that can be appealed, and appeals succeed often enough to be worth making. Ask for the reason in writing, ask which policy criteria were applied, and ask about the deadline for appealing. Our prescription assistance page covers manufacturer programs and other routes to affording a prescription, and our news and law tracking follows coverage decisions as they change.