Web Sites That Make Me Cry: Part 34.7b

Above you will find the first screen of BCBS's claims area. Look at the last 1/3 of the image. Instead of making a normal web page that shows all the possible links to my claims, I am confronted with the oh-so-accessible iframe. I've tried popping that frame into a new window-- if I hit a link on it, the blue junk just comes back.

You will note there's no way to sort the data that's presented, it's in an incredibly packed in font (I guess all of BCBS's clients have great eyesight!), and there's no human-English to hint as to what any specific line actually means.

So, since there's no telling what any particular gibberish encoded claim is, I get to micro-scroll down the list, clicking each one until I find what I want.

Screen 2... the "details" page. Look, Ma, more scrolling! In an even SHORTER box! Yes, because they really wanted that red stuff in there, they decided to shorten the box.

It's becoming obvious that someone at BCBS thinks that having the actual page scroll is evidently second only to promising the soul of your first born child to the Dark Lord of Hell yourself, but that scrolling a window with 9 rows of text in it is just fine and dandy.

At this point I'm moving beyond anger at the web developers and into pity. I can't see anyone designing this by choice.



Screen 3. I can finally free myself of the scrolling micro-window. But it just brings up the unfortunate question of WHY this line item has to be a separate page. Couldn't this information have been provided on the page before this? Do I really need a whole page for each line item, especially since they all have the same dates of service, providers, etc.?

My last frustration is also revealed here. It's the little box. I can't use the regular back button on this site. It does not work. It reloads the page I'm on. To go back I MUST use the form back button they provide.

*sigh*

While out hunting for pretty boxes to store ugly old files in yesterday (favorite store replaced by rack room shoes! oh no, mr. bill, oh no!) we passed BCBS's big regional office. I shook my fist at them.