@John Brunner, not being quip when I say this but I know what I'm paying for and that's my medical insurance premiums. Having been a medical biller, not once did any patient asked to understand what they were paying for but how come services weren't being paid or why are they being billed. To piggyback on 'complete understanding...' it all comes down to thoroughly reading your policy's plan of payment preferably before any kind of treatment.
Well Von, you never did my hospital billing because if you put down charges as they were presented to you for services with misleading labeling, your phone would have been going ring a ding, ring ring ring. The first few times I called they answered immediately. After that their machines informed me that they would return my call as soon as possible which was usually days later, if ever. I can't think of one hospital bill, before I went on medicare, that I didn't question. Example Neck Surgery to replace three worn-out discs with dead folks bones: After combing through 17 pages of charges I notice one under physical therapy labeled, "Specialized Domestic Hygiene Care Therapy" What the flying fungus I thought, I never received any such care and if so $45 sounds like a bargain, however, the insurance rejected the charge as "not covered" so I question its validity as a necessary service. The kind lady at billing referred me to the dept that initiated these charges. The disinterested young man at that dept sighed, then made a couple of calls, and then told me it was for the young lady that came up before I dressed to go home that taught me how to put on my underwear. Well, that set about as well with me as being waterboarded in a tank of gasoline. After going to the head guy of the whole damn hospital, I was told to pay the charge or face being turned into collections. After a few calls and letters to the State Hospital Ethics Board, I finally paid it as they ruled that the hospital did provide this service, regardless of the fact that no insurance will pay for such an unwanted and unnecessary service. Why doesn't insurance pay was my question to these smug racketeers. They refused to answer saying that such a question had no bearing on the case. You owe it pay it or else! Here is what happened. Before I was released to go home, a young lady, a high school student, a wannabe nurse, came in and said she was from the physical therapy department and she was going to show me how to put on my underwear. I informed her for 60 years I have been putting on my own underwear and I didn't need help. She informed me that yes, I did because of my neck. I informed her that the doc had already told me how to keep it positioned to avoid pain and it was secured by three titanium plates while in the fusing process, so no necessity for a neck brace. Just don't lift over 25 lbs for a few days, paint overhead, go sky diving, and be extra careful if bungy jumping. I refused the young lady's services. The head nurse was called in and she asked me to let this student do her thing or no discharge. I said ok then show me how it is done, young lady. She pulls one leg up and puts it in one side, then the other leg up, etc., and wall la, the panties are donned. Fascinating, I said, that is how I do it every day. Do you think I jump up with both feet and insert them at the same time? Then I informed both of them that the reason I brought a wrap skirt was that I wasn't going to wear any panties or a bra on the trip home. The head nurse says I cannot discharge you unless you put on your panties. The bra isn't a requirement, but panties are. I said well when you specialist had me up walking the halls in a gown, I wasn't wearing panties, so why now? She couldn't answer that but repeated, "no panties donned, no discharge." Fair enough I say, hand me my panties. She does and I throw them toward one foot catching them with my foot and kicking them on that leg, then get the other foot in doing a little hop dance and then keeping my neck straight squat, and snap those nylon-spandex beauties on with a resounding snap. I tell the young lady to now watch while I train her on how to don a bra. I wasn't going to wear one home, but that was before I knew that I would be teaching a girls' garment donning workshop. I had my fixed sports racerback bralette that was old and stretched and while poor support, it did provide coverage acceptable even to Puritans. The thing you must know about this style of bra is I developed a skill using it during my years of windsurfing after hours while some of us girls camped above the beach. When boredom might have set in before bedtime, one of us always provided some entertainment. Since most of my bras were in fact really sports-style fixed bralettes with wide staps, I had this unique skill perfected!!! Holding the bra with both hands, one on the apex of each strap, I toss it up about 7 1/2 feet high, just shy of ceiling height. Since this bra will keep its shape as it descends, I have both hands as if in prayer and as they enter the bra band, I pull them apart which pulls the bra down and over my shoulders, and then with a quick move, it snaps over my boobs and in place. Women with Grand Teton's boobs may never master this move while one such as myself with Texas Hill Country boobs has made it an art form. Although I pulled it off without moving my neck or looking up. I did have some pain below the neck but I never let on. I think the two muscle relaxants at $25 each for a $50 total had kicked in giving me a bit of frisk. Anywho neither of these ladies was impressed, however, the older nurse failed at sequestering her smile. I paid the $45 but still whine about taking it in the shorts so to speak.
Thanks Hun for giving me the opening to practice my sarcastic humor. I needed badly to make myself smile this morning with all that is going on here in Faezville. I look forward to you resurrecting your "No No Nanette's." They always made me smile.
I don't know if this is a rant on stupid waste or if it's on needless spending that gets passed on to the consumer, or perhaps all of the above. I just received a new Verizon branded credit card. Here is all the packaging it arrived in and what I had to do to get to the daggone card: It was almost like a Matryoshka [Russian nesting] doll. None of this is made of cheap material...the cardboard is very thick & rigid. I'm embarrassed to admit that I got down to that pull-apart sleeve and had to play with it before realizing how to get to the card. This is stupid. I've not received a new credit card in a while, but I don't ever recall it being like this. And after I put the card in my wallet, all of that packaging went right in the trash (actually, most went into my recycling bin.) I imagine it's not technically "waste" as far as Verizon is concerned, because it all gets built into their pricing model. I'm not certain why all the fanfare (and the waste) for something that's going in my wallet just to be near my butt. I thought that surplus packaging went away when folks started whining about how compact discs were boxed. The upside is it showed up just in time for me to pay my cellphone bill with it and start saving $10/month...which was my main reason for even messing with it in the first place. Maybe I should go all "Cancel Culture" on them. Maybe I can get on the news.
Then on the other hand, I received my updated Chase Visa (new expiration date) with a credit limit of $48,000 in a plain white envelope that you could clearly feel the card through. Gotta love it.
@Beth Gallagher Here’s one for you. This happens regularly. We drive to the supermarket only to find that all the disabled spots are occupied by people whose only disability is laziness. So in order to get the ramp out for me to get my wheelchair out of the car we have to find a spot - usually at the far end of the carpark with no other vehicles nearby so I can get out of the car. And why do people who have left their kids at home park in the family spots?
I agree with you, @Bibbi Wright , and we see it happening here a lot, too, with people parking in the handicap spaces and no handicap card or license plate. Another one is the handicapped stall in the public bathrooms being unavailable, and you wait and wait, and then out comes some young woman who obviously has no mobility problems, and just used that bathroom anyway.
Bottom Line about the handicap parking spots or basically anything dealing with handicap things............the public simply don't care. The only time handicap parking is obeyed is when there is a separate parking area, like at a Fair or other event, and someone is monitoring it. A handicap placard or license plate has to be visible to enter. For those that don't like to read/hear the words "don't care", there is no other way to put it.
It is against the law , at least here in Alabama, to use a handicapped parking spot without have the special placard in your window or the handicapped plates. We actually forgot to put ours in the window one time, and found a ticket for illegal parking on the windshield when we got back. I had to call and explain what happened, and give my handicapped tag number, and they removed the fine; but since then, we try really hard to remember to put the placard in the window. Of course, if no security person sees someone parking illegally, then they get away with it, and I agree that many non-handicapped people just do not care, and will take the chance of parking illegally anyway.
Yes it’s illegal here too but the chances of getting caught are minute. Once however the police were doing alcohol and drug tests in the carpark and I ”ratted” on some youngsters who’d cut in front of us to take the last disabled space and then told us to go get f….d when we pointed out that it was a disabled spot. The police waited till they came back, gave them a hefty fine, a real talking to and made them apologise to me. It made my day.
Another pet peeve about the handicap parking is that people seem to think they can park in that space that's marked as off limits to allow for a handicap person to get their carrier out of the car. We have 2 spots where I get my coffee with a striped off area between for unloading wheel chairs etc.
From what I've read/understand, it's not recommended to leave a handicap placard hanging from rear view mirror either, but I see many Seniors that have them do just that. Guess some forget to display them, so they just keep it hanging from that mirror all of the time. I put mine in the driver's side door hard-plastic pocket, when not using it.