I was running low on milk so Jeannie brought me some this morning on her way to work, plus a box of Pop Tarts (the organic kind). She also brought along her own breakfast and I had coffee ready. Since my surgery I haven't been able to really enjoy coffee, and I'm sure it tasted so good this morning because I was sharing with my daughter. My sister, Amy, is hosting Easter dinner on Sunday and I'm looking forward to being with family. I hope my appetite is more close to normal by then although I doubt it will much different.
I have been trying to read blogs but can't read many at a time, and I comment on even less. My brain is still working on less than full power! It won't be long until I'm back to normal, I hope.
I've noticed the past few days I am beginning to get some spam comments, all to the same post. If I continue getting them today I will disallow anonymous comments for a while and see if that does it. I hate to do it, but I'm not going to let a few jerks ruin my good mood.
I received a jolt to my good mood today, however. I moved from North Carolina in 2008 and transferred my residential status to South Dakota, including my health benefits. Medicare made the change immediately, but as many letters and phone calls and I've made to NC, they just ignored me. I waffled between "I don't really care who processes the claims" to "This is costing extra processing fees, delays for the doctors waiting for payment, etc." A couple of weeks ago I wrote to the Feds' Retirement website and among other things, I again brought up the thing with NC, saying that if I didn't get action on changing my address very soon I was going to write my congressman. As anyone who has worked for the federal government knows - a dreaded "congressional" causes all kinds of extra work; the problem must be solved and action taken within a stated amount of time. If the deadlines aren't met - well - I never worked anywhere that the deadlines weren't met! Today, about 2 wks after my complaint, I am suddenly receiving statements from the proper BCBS office!
Please note that Medicare took care of their part in the very beginning, while BlueCross, a private insurer, didn't bother. Five years it took them, and all it took me was to write the word "congressional". Note that I'd been told the office responsible for fixing it was NC, so I'd say they had a good thing going - "processing" my claims which amounted to forwarding them to the office responsible for examining the claim and for paying it, which would be California. This is ironic because I'm considering just changing my address permanently to California.
I don't mean to stir anything up, but I think Medicare works so well we should go to a single payer for all health insurance!
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That dreaded word - Congressional. I only had to deal with a few of them throughout the years but you're right, they did get special treatment. Glad they got you straightened out. Have a wonderful Easter dinner with your family.
ReplyDeleteSince I retired, got on Medicare, an' BCBS became my secondary insurance, I've never had a processing problem no matter what state I was in. What ever Medicare don't pay, BCBS does.
ReplyDeleteWonder'n now if'n I was to change my address, if I WOULD have a problem.
I agree again with you. This is getting to be a recurring theme with us. :-) Anyone who says they don't want a single payer health care system run by the government should not be allowed to get on medicare. It's the best run insurance program I've had in my life.
ReplyDeleteOrganic Pop Tarts?? Never heard of such a thing. Ha Ha!
ReplyDeleteOrganic pop tarts???? nooooo kidding. well, I never. and well, anything tastes better with your kiddo. glad you're feeling up to snuff...
ReplyDeleteBreakfast with a loved one is always so special.
ReplyDeleteYour blog today shows you are getting much better and no hope but will get back to normal very soon
Sure glad you are getting back to your old self. And yes, tell us more about organic pop-tarts.
ReplyDeleteYay for a single payer system. It really is the only way to keep costs down, and get things done. Just the thought of insurance companies make me shudder . . . and I've never had any difficulty (well, niggling things, maybe) with them.
ReplyDeleteThink executive salaries . . .
So true! I use to be on the receiving end of "congressionals".:(
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are feeling better. I am sure having breakfast with your daughter started your day off right.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Gypsy, I'm a little conflicted about organic pop tarts but I couldn't agree with you more about a single payer health insurance system! As someone who provides care and prescribes medication, I'm here to tell you insurance companies run the system right now and that is NOT good! At least once a day, I have to call an insurance company & TRY to get an authorization to prescribe a medication even if the patient has been on it for years! The authorizations are typically for only 6 months so I get to do it all again. To make things even more interesting, the people I see may have their insurance company changed every year so I have to go through the authorization process all over again! It's a nightmare & takes valuable time away from providing care. The clinic I work for can't afford to pay someone else to do the paperwork. I look with GREAT envy at the Canadian, European & Japanese systems & wish we could emulate their care.
ReplyDeleteOkay...enough. Now about those organic pop tarts...
A single payer system, like the one in Canada, sure reduces the amount of paperwork. I see in the doctors office I visit stateside that there are usually more folks dealing with the insurance companies than the patients. In a Canadian doctors office quite often his nurse will do the billing as well as everything else that needs doing there. Somebody once told me that a major hospital in one of our large cities has two, yep two, folks dealing with all the billing issues. Don't get me wrong it is not perfect but it sure beats others I have seen.
ReplyDeleteSure hope you get to feeling better soon. Don't forget those Ensure shakes. Take care of yourself.
ReplyDelete