Everything and then some…
Monday, April 20, 2026
One thing I’ve learned about myself: if I don’t get enough sleep, I am not pleasant. It took years (and multiple doctors telling me) before that finally clicked.
I have a Medicare Advantage plan through HAP (Health Alliance Plan). They offer transportation 12 one-way rides per year (6 round trips). Sounds great on paper.
To book a ride, you call the number on the back of your card, fight through their “high call volume” message (which, let’s be honest, is every day), and give them every detail about your life including your phone number. I made sure to book both the trip to and from my appointment at the same time, because if you don’t, good luck getting home.
I was scheduled for pickup at 12:30 PM for an appointment in Ann Arbor.
The Ride There
Sunday night? No sleep. Not unusual for me before appointments, even when there’s nothing to stress about.
By Monday morning, I’m already in a bad mood.
I’m sitting in my building lobby at noon waiting.
12:35 PM comes no driver.
I call. After fighting through their phone system, I finally reach someone around 12:55 PM. They tell me the driver “tried to call” but didn’t have my number.
That’s where I lost patience.
You cannot book a ride without giving them your number. Their own phone system literally read my number back to me. So no the issue wasn’t me. They failed to pass it to the driver.
Also, let’s be real: the driver could’ve just shown up. I was sitting right there.
After arguing, they say they’ll send another driver 15 minutes.
20 minutes later, I get an Uber notification.
The ride finally starts… late.
Driver tells me it’ll take 48 minutes to get there. At this point, I already know I’m going to be late, despite building in buffer time.
I call the doctor’s office thankfully, they were understanding.
I finally arrive at 2:40 PM.
At U of M
Construction everywhere. Confusing layout. No clear directions.
I had to ask multiple people just to find the right reception area.
By the time I got there 3:05 PM I was out of breath and dealing with chest discomfort from the walk.
The appointment itself? Actually good.
Then labs… 14 vials total:
- 2 failed attempts in my arm (nice bruise)
- Finished in my hand
Good times.
The Ride Home (or Lack of One)
My return pickup was scheduled for 4:00 PM.
4:15… nothing.
4:20… I call again (another 10 minutes through their system).
Now they tell me:
My return trip was cancelled because the original trip had issues.
Let that sink in.
After more arguing, they promise a driver within 15 minutes.
30 minutes later? Nothing.
At that point, I’m done. I’m not getting stranded in Ann Arbor.
I moved money out of my moving fund and booked my own Uber:
$46 out of pocket (even after a discount).
Uber shows up in 5 minutes.
The Final Insult
25 minutes into my ride home…
I get a notification:
“Your return driver has arrived.”
After I had already cancelled and left.
Bottom Line
You plan ahead to avoid problems like this and it still falls apart.
I purposely schedule afternoon appointments because my sleep is unpredictable. I build in extra time. I follow their process exactly.
And it still didn’t matter.
Now I’m out $46 trying to get reimbursed, and based on how this whole thing went, I’m not holding my breath.
I was not about to sit there and risk being stranded.
