The world works in funny ways. My son broke his ankle (three bones) and dislocated it. It was just short of a compound fracture.I posted about how the hospital called less than 24 hours before the schedule surgery to demand in full the deductible from my 24 year old son. He works retail. I remember when he was so proud to have his own insurance-to help out, to be independent. The brutal comment of the hospital business manager was "we can POSTPONE your surgery until you come up with the money." I still feel fury at that comment. Would they say the same thing to a woman dialated to ten cm in the ER or a gunshot wound victim? Or would it be that because my son like so many others innocently got insurance which amounts to a license to pick pockets in order to make up for what so many others do not pay? Is that the intent of Obamacare??
Sorry, blood pressure up, I have to take a moment.
Anyway, as I said before, the world works in funny ways. After three weeks off the job, but still on crutches and in a cast, my son went to work. He was talking to customers as he does (which is why he's the top salesman)and a man asked about his leg. The whole story came out while the customer listened. The man asked "What hospital was this at?" and my son gave the name. As it turns out, the man was the head of public relations for the entire hospital system. He was appalled at how my son was treated and he gave my son his card and told him "I'm sorry you were treated like that. That's unforgiveable. If you have ANY problems with the billing or the other issues with the hospital, call me." It's nice to know some people still care about their jobs.
In the meantime, I live in what amounts to a thrift store masquerading as a house. My husband is so afraid of losing any money that he thinks everything has a value, even a 30 year old refrigerator. The only place I have to do anything is a TV table that holds my laptop. I can't paint. I can't sew. I can't really cook. All I can do is exist. I have to hope that this same funny old world holds some lucky twist for me.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Lockdown
Today my school had a lockdown. No, it wasn't a drill. Some idiot called the school claiming to have put a device in a rehearsal hall. They also claimed there were armed shooters waiting for evacuation and that he had the detonator in hand. I don't know who it was or why they did it, but I am sick and tired of these weak minded droolers pulling this kind of stuff. Needless to say it's exam week. In addition the director of the organization targeted in the phone call had canceled a spring trip because the students had not practiced, were distracted on their phones and tablets in rehearsal and generally seemed disinterested in the performance part of the trip althought anxious to miss four days of school to attend. Allegedly, students were mad at this director, but I say more power to her. We have kids who are born into such a huge sense of entitlement that they believe the "deserve" trips, banquets, awards, scholarships, what have you, simply because they exist.
After an hour cowering in the dark corner of a locked computer lab, I am NOT in a happy mood. After a year in which teachers seem to have no back up while administrators cower at the demands of parents, I'm really at my wit's end. This is not why I signed up for the job.
After an hour cowering in the dark corner of a locked computer lab, I am NOT in a happy mood. After a year in which teachers seem to have no back up while administrators cower at the demands of parents, I'm really at my wit's end. This is not why I signed up for the job.
Monday, January 06, 2014
My Letter to The White House OR Why Obamacare Doesn't Work
This is a copy of the letter I wrote to the White House and President Obama. Of course I doubt he will read it. But I am hoping others do read it as a cautionary tale.
"Let me tell you what ACA has done for us. My son, who is 24 and works full time and has had insurance from his work for nearly a year, broke his ankle. It is a complex break and dislocation. He went to the ER and they demanded $250, which I didn't question. But then the surgeon we called demanded $1400 up front. Last but not least, the hospital said that if my son couldn't come up with $1500 up front, that they would "postpone the surgery until he had the money." He works retail, he has to be able to walk or at least move. It would take him months, maybe years to save that much. This is what is happening. This is your fault. You and the Democrat have lied to us. And kids like my son are suffering and will suffer. The only people who benefit are those who are uninsured who will skip their bills. I am so disappointed."
The last six days have been stressful to say the least. ER visits usually are. My youngest son has worked so hard to get out of debt and to be responsible in paying for child care and such. He was finally looking at moving out. Then this. An accident. But he has insurance so that makes it alright.....right? No. Think again.
I didn't really think much when the ER wanted $250 up front. That's a normal think with ER visits, then you get billed later. But when after visiting with the orthopedist (and after having to hear the absolute agony of my son as they struggled to reduce the fracture which was not done properly at the ER) we got a phone call demanding $1400 up front and then the call from Baylor Hospital demanding the full amount of the deductible up front, this poor kid broke down. How are people ever supposed to get out from under debt when the costs of insurance along with the cost of deductibles rising? The irony is that if he was indigent or irresponsible, he would end up at Parkland or John Peter Smith and get the same services for a billing payment or even free.
Buying insurance is for saps. Why do we do it? It seems to offer few benefits and more liabilities. And the mumbo jumbo gibberish of the insurance jargon is enough to drive Ben Franklin insane. My blood pressure was already high. Luckily I am able to help out-but I know others that are not. What of those poor kids with $10,000 deductibles on their insurance? How will they pay? This isn't even the first week of January and it's already ugly. It's going to get uglier still.
People, I've been saying this since 2009, Obamacare is a trap. It is not about less expensive care or even more accessible care-it is a surreptitious tax on those that work to subsidize those demographic populations the ruling party find to be more deserving of services.
"Let me tell you what ACA has done for us. My son, who is 24 and works full time and has had insurance from his work for nearly a year, broke his ankle. It is a complex break and dislocation. He went to the ER and they demanded $250, which I didn't question. But then the surgeon we called demanded $1400 up front. Last but not least, the hospital said that if my son couldn't come up with $1500 up front, that they would "postpone the surgery until he had the money." He works retail, he has to be able to walk or at least move. It would take him months, maybe years to save that much. This is what is happening. This is your fault. You and the Democrat have lied to us. And kids like my son are suffering and will suffer. The only people who benefit are those who are uninsured who will skip their bills. I am so disappointed."
The last six days have been stressful to say the least. ER visits usually are. My youngest son has worked so hard to get out of debt and to be responsible in paying for child care and such. He was finally looking at moving out. Then this. An accident. But he has insurance so that makes it alright.....right? No. Think again.
I didn't really think much when the ER wanted $250 up front. That's a normal think with ER visits, then you get billed later. But when after visiting with the orthopedist (and after having to hear the absolute agony of my son as they struggled to reduce the fracture which was not done properly at the ER) we got a phone call demanding $1400 up front and then the call from Baylor Hospital demanding the full amount of the deductible up front, this poor kid broke down. How are people ever supposed to get out from under debt when the costs of insurance along with the cost of deductibles rising? The irony is that if he was indigent or irresponsible, he would end up at Parkland or John Peter Smith and get the same services for a billing payment or even free.
Buying insurance is for saps. Why do we do it? It seems to offer few benefits and more liabilities. And the mumbo jumbo gibberish of the insurance jargon is enough to drive Ben Franklin insane. My blood pressure was already high. Luckily I am able to help out-but I know others that are not. What of those poor kids with $10,000 deductibles on their insurance? How will they pay? This isn't even the first week of January and it's already ugly. It's going to get uglier still.
People, I've been saying this since 2009, Obamacare is a trap. It is not about less expensive care or even more accessible care-it is a surreptitious tax on those that work to subsidize those demographic populations the ruling party find to be more deserving of services.
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