Toad in the Hole

1 | By: VS on October 30, 2009 at 09:48 AM

You should read Holly Lisle’s blog post on why her online classes were delayed this week.  Or maybe you shouldn’t…  Holly used to be a nurse also, btw.  As a result, whenever anyone in her family is ill, she gets called.  Sound familiar?

2 | By: Sally Mack on October 30, 2009 at 09:59 AM

Hey, how about being charged for NOT signing up for Medicare?  I work at UC Berkeley and was just informed that:

Enrolling in Medicare
If you continue working at UC past age 65, you are not required to sign up for Medicare Part B since federal law stipulates that your UC group health plan will be your primary coverage. When you retire or should you lose your employer medical coverage, you must immediately enroll in Medicare Part B. Medicare may charge a permanent 10% penalty for each full year you could have had Part B and didn’t.

Huh?

And what about that $600 check I just received from the IRS?  Last time I received money from them that I hadn’t expected, they demanded it back three years later.

Hell in a handbasket?

3 | By: kathy a on October 31, 2009 at 10:31 AM

i’m sorry for whatever situation is currently shredding your stomach lining, and hope it improves.

this is not the direst whine in the world, but we recently went through An Episode when my adult son, who lives on his own, works but lacks insurance, got very sick [beaten up plus sinus infection].  first, he didn’t seek help for a week because he couldn’t afford it, and didn’t want to ask mom and dad for help.  by then, he had some nasty and overwhelmingly painful infections.  also, he needed a skull x-ray to rule out further injuries from being attacked.  major antibiotics plus pain meds followed.  he’s just fine now.

both the doctor’s office and the imaging place had reduced rates for uninsured people, which i paid on the spot.  and you guessed it, then the bills started coming in.  all 3 turned out to be billing errors [“our health care motto:  bill early and often”].  but i nearly lost it when one place—which sent the bill to ME, not my adult son—refused to talk to me about the billing because of medical privacy.