Tag: Insurance

What’s Happening Today

What’s Happening Today

Today has gone by a lot quicker than I expected. I had a lot to do today, and of course, none of it was fun. I had to pay a bunch of bills and do a whole lot of chores around the house.

Yesterday, I took Achilles to the vet for a wellness visit. Some of his vaccinations needed a second dose. However, when the vet was doing the physical exam, Achilles snapped at her. I’ve never seen him do anything like that. He must have been having an off day. However, from now on, every time he goes to the vet he will have to wear a muzzle. Achilles hasn’t snapped at anyone since that one time yesterday, and hopefully it stays that way. I had to fill out an insurance claim form for Achilles. Getting the claim together is a pain in the ass, but it’s worth it. This claim will probably have us meet our yearly deductible, but that means that we will get refunded for the next claim.

Just now, it started pouring rain heavily. Apparently it’s the first monsoon of the season. The winds are extremely strong and the rain is coming down in buckets. I’m not sure how long this storm will last, but I’m grateful that both me and my husband can stay home. We’re lucky that we don’t have to go anywhere or do anything tonight. The picture for this post is one that I took looking out a back window in our new house.

Marketplace Appeal Difficulties

Marketplace Appeal Difficulties

I’m trying to follow through on an appeal that I sent into the Marketplace a couple of months ago. I received a letter basically saying that I need to pay back the tax credit we received in 2016. Fine, it was only a little bit each month. But I still don’t agree with their overall decision and I want to make sure that the same thing doesn’t happen for 2017. I gathered all of my information and called the number in the letter, but they weren’t very helpful.

I get so anxious over these type of issues and calling in to resolve issues. I don’t mind the first phone call because I can prepare myself for what I want to say. However, I don’t know how to respond when they answer or don’t answer my questions. I always end up saying, “Thanks for your help.” My anxiety prevents me from thinking on my feet. I’m going to get some help from my mom, she’s great at this kind of stuff. But I still need to work on responding to people on the spot.

Medicare Open Enrollment

Medicare Open Enrollment

I’ve been on Medicare parts A, B, and D since 2011. I receive these benefits because I’m on Social Security Disability. Part A is hospital insurance, Part B is medical insurance, and Part D is prescription drug insurance. My medical co-pays have gotten to be way too expensive. I am working on picking out a new prescription drug insurance plan and possibly a Medicare Advantage plan.

I tried to look things up online, but I was very confused because there was so much information. I called a woman whose job is to help people figure all of this out, and she was fantastic. She answered all of my questions and will be mailing me more information. I’m hoping that I will be able to find the right plan for me.

The one thing that sucks is that the only other medical insurance I can get is a Medicare Advantage plan, which for me, they are all HMOs. I don’t know if I will be comfortable with a HMO. I will do a lot of research and find out what plan is best. Maybe there is a plan that has all of my current doctors ‘in-network’. I’ll probably do the research tomorrow, I’m pretty tired tonight.

When It Rains, It Pours

When It Rains, It Pours

When it rains, it pours. I’m just so exhausted with life; however, the second I think I can finally relax, something else happens. I’m overwhelmed and about to burnout. The dishwasher broke over the weekend. At least I rent this house, so I don’t have to pay to have it fixed, so that makes it simply inconvenient instead of a huge problem. It’s not like when the microwave died. I never realized until then how much we rely on microwaves.

In the yesterday, I got a medical bill for my husband for $4100; it was for anesthesia for his back surgery last year. I mailed in an appeal for it today because we met his out-of-network deductible and out-of-pocket maximum with the surgery. Since we met everything, I don’t think we should be paying this bill. I called the company where the bill was from and let them know that I sent in an appeal. At least everyone on the phone was really nice about it.

A lot of medical bills have been coming in. I’ve paid some, made payment plans with others, and also appealed one. It’s just a bit overwhelming to have all of these bills coming in at once. Many of the bills are from October 2015. They took their sweet time sending us a bill; I feel like I should be able to take my sweet time paying the bill.

My dog cut his paw the other day when he was outside. The short story is that he tripped over a tree stump. I couldn’t even see where the blood was coming from, but I was able to stop it by holding a towel to his paw for a while. Then, I stuck his foot in a bowl of hydrogen peroxide. Every other way I tried to clean his paw was not working. The bowl of hydrogen peroxide worked great. I worry about him though. He always has skin infections; they improve and then get worse again. Now, I’m worrying about the cut as well, even though it’s not bothering him at all. I’m just a worrier.

Life just keeps coming, although I wish I could take a break from it all. I suppose that’s what will happen when I’m in Cape Cod in August.