1. Apparently, I'm worth $1481.9 USD.
And2. You can find a quick link to Queers United.
27 June, 2009
Searching
After accidentally (I swear!) typing my blog address into the google search engine rather than the address bar I discovered two interesting things.
1. Apparently, I'm worth $1481.9 USD.
And
2. You can find a quick link to Queers United.
1. Apparently, I'm worth $1481.9 USD.
And2. You can find a quick link to Queers United.
20 June, 2009
My health care experiences: Update
So, it's been a few weeks now since I last saw my new Bona Fide American Doctor. The prescriptions he ordered for me are working like a treat. It's really amazing how quickly I felt better after putting up with stomach trouble for a verrrry long time. Congrats to the man. I paid $20 for the visit which I suppose is pretty fair in this day and age. That's probably less than it would cost the cable guy to come over and "prescribe" something for my snowy channels and I bet the cable guy has not spent the last 10 years in training. A real eye opener for me was receiving the statement ("this is not an invoice") from the insurance company which let me know how much he wanted from them. $240. The man barely broke a sweat sitting and talking with me and he wants $240?? I've heard reasons such as "the cost of electricity and rent is risssinggg" wail, wail, moan, moan from the AMA but that still seems a little pricey for me because ultimately the cost is not just magically absorbed by insurance companies, but paid for by the healthy (and not just the wealthy). If the health care industry wants to work this way, then fine, I actually don't mind. What I do mind is the "not telling you the price" bit.
I think I've moaned about this before so I'll dispense with the examples but if I came in, sat down and he asked for my issues. Kept a poker face and said "Well, I can give you some prescriptions, tell you what is going on, take a look at your chest, ears, mouth and eyes, but it's going to cost you you $240." Then i'd be happy. I'd probably think "Well, that's a bit pricey but I want to feel better so what the heck." I might even try saying "Well, my ears and chest are fine and I don't need to know the real reason. Can you skip those and I get a discount?". I don't think there is any other industry in which you accept the service without knowing the cost.
My other bit of health care news is that I went for my 2nd refill of my prescription the other day and was shocked when the price had sky-rocketed. First time it was about $6 which I thought was fantastic. I could live with that. 2nd time around, about 20 days later, and it's almost $20. Same drug, same amount of pills. So, I ask the pharmacist (when I got home after prompting from Ms. Allclick who helps keep me in check with these kind of things) and they say something like "Oh, it's your insurance company. They must have adjusted how much they are willing to cover" or some such. I call my insurance company "Oh, it's the pharmacy. They must be paying more for the cost of the drug in the first place. I return back to the pharmacy and they shrug their shoulders. "Yer, the price went up and so it's just fluctuations really. Next month it could be less." Apparently I'm at the whim of the drug companies now. Sigh.
I think I've moaned about this before so I'll dispense with the examples but if I came in, sat down and he asked for my issues. Kept a poker face and said "Well, I can give you some prescriptions, tell you what is going on, take a look at your chest, ears, mouth and eyes, but it's going to cost you you $240." Then i'd be happy. I'd probably think "Well, that's a bit pricey but I want to feel better so what the heck." I might even try saying "Well, my ears and chest are fine and I don't need to know the real reason. Can you skip those and I get a discount?". I don't think there is any other industry in which you accept the service without knowing the cost.
My other bit of health care news is that I went for my 2nd refill of my prescription the other day and was shocked when the price had sky-rocketed. First time it was about $6 which I thought was fantastic. I could live with that. 2nd time around, about 20 days later, and it's almost $20. Same drug, same amount of pills. So, I ask the pharmacist (when I got home after prompting from Ms. Allclick who helps keep me in check with these kind of things) and they say something like "Oh, it's your insurance company. They must have adjusted how much they are willing to cover" or some such. I call my insurance company "Oh, it's the pharmacy. They must be paying more for the cost of the drug in the first place. I return back to the pharmacy and they shrug their shoulders. "Yer, the price went up and so it's just fluctuations really. Next month it could be less." Apparently I'm at the whim of the drug companies now. Sigh.
16 June, 2009
Sorry bloggers
sorry to all. I have been away for a while. You might not have noticed. But if you did I'm sorry for the lack of contributions. Hopefully over the next couple of days I can get my thoughts together and write about some of the things on my mind: Health care, Freedom of Speech, distrust of "out-of-towners" and why the British sing with an American accent. Perhaps it will all just be one big, long, rambling essay...or maybe I'll just review Terminator: Salvation like I promised.
02 June, 2009
Twisted logic
Every now and then I'm reminded that I tend to have my own personal logic that isn't quite the same logic someone else might follow.
Playing a game of Scene it: Television Edition a couple of nights ago for the first time, I was reading the rules allowed:
" It says "We roll the dice to see who goes first". I really don't see the point in that". I said.
"What do you mean?" Replied Ms. Allclick.
"Well how do we decide who rolls first to see who goes first in the game? Why doesn't whoever was going to roll first, just roll first for real and start the game?"
"You do see why that makes no sense?".
She ended up going first.
And winning.
Playing a game of Scene it: Television Edition a couple of nights ago for the first time, I was reading the rules allowed:
" It says "We roll the dice to see who goes first". I really don't see the point in that". I said.
"What do you mean?" Replied Ms. Allclick.
"Well how do we decide who rolls first to see who goes first in the game? Why doesn't whoever was going to roll first, just roll first for real and start the game?"
"You do see why that makes no sense?".
She ended up going first.
And winning.
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