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Archive through February 23, 2010

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: January 2010 ~ April 2010: Free Expressions: The return of The Return of the Gripe Thread: Archive through February 23, 2010 users admin

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Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Friday, February 19, 2010 - 2:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
Hukd, she's written and appealed about 5 times. It's the insurance company. She's actually on my side on this. It's to the point though that I won't go to the doc, won't take the kids because I have such crap insurance I can't afford it right now. I got suckered into a high deductible insurance policy with an HSA account that helps cover that deductible. However, this didn't go toward the deductable, and it's just a huge bill that if I go to the doc, it adds to it.

Kitt
Member

09-06-2000

Friday, February 19, 2010 - 2:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kitt a private message Print Post    
You can use the money in your HSA account to cover it though (if you didn't know that, which you probably did). It doesn't matter that it wasn't covered by your insurance, the HSA money is for any medical expense, so definitely use that if you have money sitting there.

<<health insurance reform!!>>

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Friday, February 19, 2010 - 2:58 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
Yes, I know that, but it only goes in every two weeks, and only about 200 at a time. For them wanting the money up front, I just don't have it. I would have been racking up money if I hadn't had surgery the year before that and had to pay the deductable out of that account as well. So unless they'll take 200-300 per month toward the 6000 then they are going to have to turn me right into collections I suppose.

Kitt
Member

09-06-2000

Friday, February 19, 2010 - 3:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kitt a private message Print Post    
Well the best you can do if the insurance company won't budge is put a calm unemotional argument to the health facility that you simply can't pay the balance right now, and they need to work with you if they want the money. Say what you can afford and that you really want to pay off your bill but it's simply not possible. They really should work with you but not every place has sensible people in. Good luck!

Maplsyrp
Member

02-10-2009

Friday, February 19, 2010 - 3:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Maplsyrp a private message Print Post    
This happened to us after DH heart surgery. One of the many Doctor bills we got informed us they needed payment in full. I called them and told them that wasn't possible because I had many other bills to pay also. Long story short they got rude with me and I told them they could have a amount I could afford each month or zero. They choose the amount we could pay.

Sunshyne4u
Member

06-17-2003

Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 7:35 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sunshyne4u a private message Print Post    
IF the doctor deems a surgery as neccessary, not elective in canada the Insurance cannot refuse to pay.

escapee - do you have copies of the letters the doctor supposedly sent? you have paid for them by your visits therefore are entitled.

Chances are that the letters are not Clearly stating what the insurance company needs to see.

WHILE its not comparable in most ways, My battle with my Disability Insurance was similar. Once i found out the doctor was being Wishwashy and NOT answering the direct questions from the insurance company i got someone to help me take charge.

We got a list of What the EXACT things were that the insurance company needed answered BEFORE successfully getting coverage. Once that was done, it made it all easier.

I think your doctor is liable in a way because the OR shouldnt have been booked before okay'd unless it was a true emergency.

IF it wasnt an emergency, the doctor may not be wording their letter accepting blame.

Hope things work out. Glad i dont live in the USA with their difficult medical system

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 10:09 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
Ok, new gripe!

SERIOUSLY?

This barbie was in the toy isle next to all the rest of the barbies. So, I imagine it's geared toward little girls with Matel's new "Back To Basics" Barbie doll line. Am I showing my prudishness? I don't care. This is awful.


Hukdonreality
Member

09-29-2003

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 10:12 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hukdonreality a private message Print Post    
Doesn't bother me, Escapee. in fact, the whole Barbie thing is about all of the outfits, so those boobs are exposed plenty during changes anyways.

Babyruth
Member

07-19-2001

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 10:21 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Babyruth a private message Print Post    
Selling that look as appropriate or "basic" crosses the line for me.

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 10:45 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
I agree. I mean, beach barbie next to her in a bikini was more covered up.

Kitt
Member

09-06-2000

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 11:01 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kitt a private message Print Post    
Yeah, I don't like that one. Too far.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 11:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
That one does bother me. That is crazy. A shirt underneath would be okay, but to have such low cleavage is ridiculous.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 11:23 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
So many barbies do end up naked once they are played with. But to sell them with their boobs hanging out is, well, let's just say you'd never catch me getting that doll. Not even if it were free. I really don't want to see Abby thinking it would be okay to dress like that.

Yesitsme
Member

08-24-2004

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 11:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Yesitsme a private message Print Post    
Escapee, if it is an actual insurance policy (not a self funded plan), appeal to the Department of Insurance of the state the contract was written in. You can probably do this online. Usually that gets action fast. If it is a self-insured plan, you can appeal to the Department of Labor. Your insurance certificate/SPD/contract should lay out all of the steps....usually towards the end of it.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 12:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
IMHO that doll's outfit is completely inappropriate to be marketed to young children. Are there no standards anymore?

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 12:39 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
Escapee, I have to go back to your old gripe. I have been in your same situation pretty much. I'm so sorry for how frustrating it is.

Try to do whatever you can to avoid a collection agency. They will charge you enormous interest and probably ruin your credit rating. (Important if you ever need a loan of any kind ... or a job. In this job market, I would not take the chance of my credit getting messed up unless it was that or my kids starving.)

Stall your Dr. by saying that you are going to try to work things out with your insurance co. Beg the Dr. not to send you to a collection agency...if that is what the Dr. is doing. (If not, don't mention it til the Dr. does.)

Keep calling and writing to them (different people in the insur. co.) explaining the situation. Maybe there is some way they can "flex the benefits" to get it all or partially covered. Go all the way up the line if you have to.

It is going to be a huge frustrating time consuming pain, but if they pay all or some, it will be worth it.

If the insur. co. won't pay anything or won't pay enough, tell the Dr. you need to be on a payment plan. Tell the Dr. there is no way you can just come up with $6000. (For a single incident, we had to do this with the hospital, 3 doctors, 2 labs, and more. Each one gave us a no interest payment plan. All but the hospital took what we could give them, the hospital told us what the min. would have to be.)

If it turns out you have to pay anything and it is something you can't afford all at once, I would hope, since the Dr. is on your side, that he/she would be willing to work the $ with you. If not, and Dr. threatens a collection agency, beg and plead and explain that if that happens, no one is going to get anything.

For me, if there was just nothing else to be done, I would max out my credit cards to keep out of a collection agency. A bad credit rating is disasterous. (For all of this, I mean a real collection agency, not just the collections dept of the Dr. But I'd be sure what the Dr. means by collections.)

I wish you good luck. And you really have my sympathies on this.

--------------
Very inappropriately dressed Barbie!

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 12:39 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
Yestistme I am doing that now. Thank you for the information

Rissa
Member

03-19-2006

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 8:58 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rissa a private message Print Post    
I have a gripe that is not earth-shattering. I have been trying really hard to get rid of 20 lbs of stress weight I have put on in the last 18 mnths dealing with many family health issues and am 1.5 lbs away from my goal. YEH! Anyway I have a pair of jeans that I absolutely love but they are literally falling off as I walk so on our recent trip to Orlando I saw them on sale and bought them a size smaller. I get home and try them on an THEN I remember that Americans size their clothes one down from us so what is a size 12 in the USA is a size 14 up here and my new jeans are the same size as the old ones and still too big. Sounds like a silly thing to complain about but it's going to cost a pretty penny since these are going to goodwill without ever having been worn and I have to shell out for another pair. Why would a company go to the trouble and expense of putting different sizes in their clothing for different countries?

Taysmomcj
Member

03-24-2008

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 1:36 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Taysmomcj a private message Print Post    
I'm so frustrated. I have spent most of the day today trying to track down a check that I sent to school with my 7 year old last Friday to be added to her lunch account. The cafeteria doesn't have it, her teacher doesn't have it (although there was a sub Friday, so they could have put it somewhere they shouldn't have), the office says that the PTA has it, the PTA Treasurer says that they haven't seen it. It's nowhere. And all because the office says the PTA has it, her teacher and the cafeteria have stopped looking for it. Come on, people!!! I don't want to have to put a stop payment on a $20 check. That would cost me $35!!!! We're not made of money. Sending another $20 check with the chance that they could cash both would hurt us just the same as having to stop payment and send a new check.

(insert colorful discriptive words here....)

Whoami
Member

08-03-2001

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 1:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Whoami a private message Print Post    
I'd be suggesting to them that someone will be facing criminal charges if the check shows up cashed and nobody there knows where the money is. And tell them you'll be sending the cops there and giving them each and every one of their names. That might set them in motion to find out who has it.

On a slightly similar note, when my old credit union moved its office, they stopped sending me statements. I guess somehow or other the move caused them to lose my address or something. I called and called and called, and they kept saying they'd send one out, and never did. Suddenly I get a short check notice (yea, they found my address for THAT real nice and easy) even though I had plenty in the bank by my math. So I called and got pretty heated with them and finally asked if the reason they hadn't sent me a statement the last few months was someone there was filching off the top of my account and they didn't want me to find out. I guess I hit a nerve, cause they suddenly sent me all my back statements, and fixed their error on the insufficient funds. It seems some people take it seriously if you suggest they are going to be investigated for a felony. Soon after I closed my account with them.

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 2:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
I love parent connect that our school has. They use "school bucks" and you can add funds right online. No cash or checks to send with your kids. It comes right off of a debit card.

Taysmomcj
Member

03-24-2008

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 2:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Taysmomcj a private message Print Post    
Don't they charge you a fee to use that, Escapee? They do in our district.

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 2:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
I've never been charged a fee.

Taysmomcj
Member

03-24-2008

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 2:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Taysmomcj a private message Print Post    
We are charged $1.35 per transaction to put money on an account electronically, or a subscription fee of up to $14.80 depending on the number of transactions made in a certain period of time.

Pamy
Member

01-02-2002

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 9:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Pamy a private message Print Post    
talk to the principal tell her that you are financially unable to stop payment or send another 20. ask if they could credit your acct at least for 2 wks until it shows up or you get paid again and can give another 20.

if that doesnt wk, talk to ptsa, ask same thing.

they have budgets for free and reduced lunch, someone there can help you
signed,
PTSA Treasurer and School Site Council Member :-)