I like the ice bucket challenge. I'm happy that ALS is getting so much exposure. And I'm thrilled they are bringing in so much money! Do I wish that someone had thought of this for epilepsy? Sure I do. But no one did.
I watched the short video of Pete Frates, the young Boston College graduate and baseball player who got this started for ALS when he challenged a couple of friends to do the challenge ( which had been around for sometime with athletes doing it for various charities). Well---- they did it for Pete and ALS and so it went.
I just can't get worked up and cynical about this. So what if celebs are getting their mugs all over social media? So what if some people are "showing off" ? It's fun to watch for the most part and the end outcome is that it IS spreading awareness and raising more money than The ALS Foundation dared to hope for even in their wildest dreams.
ALS is horrific. It's described as a progressive neuro degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain. As I often think about all the neurological disorders such as MS, Alzheimer's---- wouldn't it be wonderful to unlock the mystery of one so that perhaps we could eventually unlock the mystery of all the pathologies of the brain and cure some of these monsters?
Such as ---- epilepsy?
Friday, August 22, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
A Brother A Friend A Seizure
We had such a nice visit with my brother Gerry. The day after he arrived we took in a Padres game. They won! They played well. We were more than mildly surprised and especially pleased with how the current management is supporting local restaurants and breweries. We just may go again before they end the season--which will be soon given that it appears they will not get into the post season. Nope--this year the Pads are truly "Boys of Summer" (only).
The rest of Gerry's visit we explored various lunch and/or brunch spots, studied the Racing Form, went to the track and stayed up late into the night sipping (oh okay---drinking) red wine and trying to figure out the craziness going on across the world, in our own country in Ferguson and within our circle of family and friends. No solutions---just discussion.
Michael was especially looking forward to the week-end because his childhood buddy was returning home after an absence of several years. He was so looking forward to getting together. Maybe it was the late night discussion, maybe it was a restless night anticipating seeing Trevor the next day, maybe it was just the capricious nature of this stupid, vile condition. Whatever the reason , at 8:13am Sunday Michael had an unusually violent seizure. It lasted less than a minute (good) and cast a pall on the household (bad) and warranted the inevitable discussion about altering plans. I wasn't for altering. I moved a brunch reservation back a half hour and I woke Michael an hour later and filled him in about the seizure. Michael soldiered through. No seizure, no headache, no aches were going to keep him from proceeding with his day. We thoroughly enjoyed a brunch with family friends and their baby and Trevor arrived at our home later to get his friend and enjoy a day at the track. It was a good, good day. Seizure be damned!
A family dinner. Gerry's last night until he visits again in December. More wine, more discussion. A restful sleep for all.
Take that epilepsy. Take that!
The rest of Gerry's visit we explored various lunch and/or brunch spots, studied the Racing Form, went to the track and stayed up late into the night sipping (oh okay---drinking) red wine and trying to figure out the craziness going on across the world, in our own country in Ferguson and within our circle of family and friends. No solutions---just discussion.
Michael was especially looking forward to the week-end because his childhood buddy was returning home after an absence of several years. He was so looking forward to getting together. Maybe it was the late night discussion, maybe it was a restless night anticipating seeing Trevor the next day, maybe it was just the capricious nature of this stupid, vile condition. Whatever the reason , at 8:13am Sunday Michael had an unusually violent seizure. It lasted less than a minute (good) and cast a pall on the household (bad) and warranted the inevitable discussion about altering plans. I wasn't for altering. I moved a brunch reservation back a half hour and I woke Michael an hour later and filled him in about the seizure. Michael soldiered through. No seizure, no headache, no aches were going to keep him from proceeding with his day. We thoroughly enjoyed a brunch with family friends and their baby and Trevor arrived at our home later to get his friend and enjoy a day at the track. It was a good, good day. Seizure be damned!
A family dinner. Gerry's last night until he visits again in December. More wine, more discussion. A restful sleep for all.
Take that epilepsy. Take that!
Monday, August 4, 2014
Insurance Incompetence Ineptitude and So On
I like health insurance. I'm all for everyone having it. I hate the rantings about Obamacare that suggest everything was just fine until it came along. The private sector was doing just fine we are told. Well--- let me tell you---as a provider and a consumer the private sector has never gotten it right folks.
I'll take you with me on a little journey through our experiences with the insurance company my employer chose for us retirees and our dependents since January 2014. The company isn't new to the insurance business. They just happened to land the contract for my former employer.
January : Imagine our shock when we arrived at the pharmacy to pick up Michael's meds, to be told he was no longer covered on our plan. Heart palpitations, hyperventilation. Gasp! What happened? I signed Michael and Barry and I up during Open Enrollment in November 2013. I am excruciatingly detailed, timely and accurate about doing so. I KNOW the importance of insurance.
I call the insurance company concierge line. Yes, a special line just for me and thousands of others! No sign of a Michael Connolly under my name/plan. So sorry. You'll just have to contact your employer's HR Department I was told. OK. Dial. Hold. Menu. Person!!! Of course Michael Connolly is on your plan. We'll get right on that. OK. Confirmation call: it's done. This four sentence recounting took about half a day to accomplish. No matter. Done. All set.
February : Yours truly has an ophthalmology appointment to rule out glaucoma. Insurance information given. Eye clinic bills insurance company and receives notice the "plan not in effect when service provided". Eye clinic tries multiple times to straighten situation out but has to call me to explain to the insurance company I am not on Medicare as they maintain. Make no mistake. I'm not that far away from being covered by Medicare but I know the year I was born and the fact I am not eligible and I KNOW I did not receive nearly constant reminders by multiple insurance companies to
" sign up for Medicare" as my husband did last year. So....I called the insurer. Another two hours of hold, menu, hold. Person. Wait. Clarification. Account righted. Or so I thought.
May -July : Second ophthalmology appointment on May 9. July 31 I received letter from the eye clinic. " Dear Mrs. Connolly..... (Insurance co) still has not paid for the visits you had in Feb and May. They (ins co) explained you were automatically enrolled in Medicare...tried calling (ins co) three different times...tried whatever I could..... including hours on the phone with (ins co).... They said nothing else we can do and must be resolved on your end......." And on and on. They tried. I appreciate their efforts. More on this one later. Just one more little glitch.
July: received letter from insurance company informing me my dependent Barry Connolly "reached the maximum age for coverage as a minor dependent under the terms of ... Current policy. ..... coverage will be cancelled on 01/01/14! Yes, that 's the date. Yes, letter dated 7/17/14! Yes DOB under Barry's name reads October 1948. The letter goes on to explain all Barry's options now that his insurance was cancelled 7 months ago.
Today: Barry begins the process by calling the number on his cancellation letter. After holding for about 10 minutes he speaks to someone. Explains he received letter. Explains HE IS covered by Medicare since last October. Receives another number to call. Calls number. Puts phone on speaker. Hold. 20, 30, 45 minutes. Person!! Tom: "Sorry , you're not in our system at all". You'll have to straighten that out with the HR department of your wife's employer". Barry: "Let me put my wife on. She has another problem. I take the phone. I relate my billing issue. ( see Feb - June above). Me : "I do not have Medicare. Do you see my birthdate?" Tom: "Yes. You are not eligible for Medicare. Let me look at another screen. Oh yes, they did say you had Medicare. I'll have to change that and send the change to that department" . Me to Tom: " I've been through this once before Tom. No offense intended but should I be talking to someone with more authority?" Tom assures me he's taking care of this as we speak. I hear the click , click , click. Is that his computer keys? Or is he just pretending to fix my problem as in that commercial. I almost laugh. We spend another ten minutes Tom assuring me he'd make this happen. Me obtaining his phone number and extension. Tom remembers something : "oh if you call after next Friday I'll be on vacation for a month" . I encourage you to get to know one of our other representatives. Anything else can I do for you today? " Whaaaat?
Almost the end I promise. So by now I am starting to doubt myself just a teeny bit. I go to my former employers website and look up my family's health coverage. Under Michael: Medical-Yes. Dental-Yes. Medicare-No. Under Barry: Medical-Yes. Dental-Yes. Medicare-Yes. I briefly describe our situation and look forward to them intervening with the insurance company.
Curiosity propelled me to look up the salary of my nonprofit insurance company's CEO. Last year: a cool 4.2 mil. BS! Pun intended.
I'll take you with me on a little journey through our experiences with the insurance company my employer chose for us retirees and our dependents since January 2014. The company isn't new to the insurance business. They just happened to land the contract for my former employer.
January : Imagine our shock when we arrived at the pharmacy to pick up Michael's meds, to be told he was no longer covered on our plan. Heart palpitations, hyperventilation. Gasp! What happened? I signed Michael and Barry and I up during Open Enrollment in November 2013. I am excruciatingly detailed, timely and accurate about doing so. I KNOW the importance of insurance.
I call the insurance company concierge line. Yes, a special line just for me and thousands of others! No sign of a Michael Connolly under my name/plan. So sorry. You'll just have to contact your employer's HR Department I was told. OK. Dial. Hold. Menu. Person!!! Of course Michael Connolly is on your plan. We'll get right on that. OK. Confirmation call: it's done. This four sentence recounting took about half a day to accomplish. No matter. Done. All set.
February : Yours truly has an ophthalmology appointment to rule out glaucoma. Insurance information given. Eye clinic bills insurance company and receives notice the "plan not in effect when service provided". Eye clinic tries multiple times to straighten situation out but has to call me to explain to the insurance company I am not on Medicare as they maintain. Make no mistake. I'm not that far away from being covered by Medicare but I know the year I was born and the fact I am not eligible and I KNOW I did not receive nearly constant reminders by multiple insurance companies to
" sign up for Medicare" as my husband did last year. So....I called the insurer. Another two hours of hold, menu, hold. Person. Wait. Clarification. Account righted. Or so I thought.
May -July : Second ophthalmology appointment on May 9. July 31 I received letter from the eye clinic. " Dear Mrs. Connolly..... (Insurance co) still has not paid for the visits you had in Feb and May. They (ins co) explained you were automatically enrolled in Medicare...tried calling (ins co) three different times...tried whatever I could..... including hours on the phone with (ins co).... They said nothing else we can do and must be resolved on your end......." And on and on. They tried. I appreciate their efforts. More on this one later. Just one more little glitch.
July: received letter from insurance company informing me my dependent Barry Connolly "reached the maximum age for coverage as a minor dependent under the terms of ... Current policy. ..... coverage will be cancelled on 01/01/14! Yes, that 's the date. Yes, letter dated 7/17/14! Yes DOB under Barry's name reads October 1948. The letter goes on to explain all Barry's options now that his insurance was cancelled 7 months ago.
Today: Barry begins the process by calling the number on his cancellation letter. After holding for about 10 minutes he speaks to someone. Explains he received letter. Explains HE IS covered by Medicare since last October. Receives another number to call. Calls number. Puts phone on speaker. Hold. 20, 30, 45 minutes. Person!! Tom: "Sorry , you're not in our system at all". You'll have to straighten that out with the HR department of your wife's employer". Barry: "Let me put my wife on. She has another problem. I take the phone. I relate my billing issue. ( see Feb - June above). Me : "I do not have Medicare. Do you see my birthdate?" Tom: "Yes. You are not eligible for Medicare. Let me look at another screen. Oh yes, they did say you had Medicare. I'll have to change that and send the change to that department" . Me to Tom: " I've been through this once before Tom. No offense intended but should I be talking to someone with more authority?" Tom assures me he's taking care of this as we speak. I hear the click , click , click. Is that his computer keys? Or is he just pretending to fix my problem as in that commercial. I almost laugh. We spend another ten minutes Tom assuring me he'd make this happen. Me obtaining his phone number and extension. Tom remembers something : "oh if you call after next Friday I'll be on vacation for a month" . I encourage you to get to know one of our other representatives. Anything else can I do for you today? " Whaaaat?
Almost the end I promise. So by now I am starting to doubt myself just a teeny bit. I go to my former employers website and look up my family's health coverage. Under Michael: Medical-Yes. Dental-Yes. Medicare-No. Under Barry: Medical-Yes. Dental-Yes. Medicare-Yes. I briefly describe our situation and look forward to them intervening with the insurance company.
Curiosity propelled me to look up the salary of my nonprofit insurance company's CEO. Last year: a cool 4.2 mil. BS! Pun intended.
Hey Roger
Roger Goodell states, "The league is an entity that depends on integrity and in the confidence of the public..." Per Merriam- Webster integrity: "Firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values".
Well Roger, as a member of the public that you depend on and as a woman---you know-- that segment of the public you want to attract more to your game/league----THIS woman has little confidence that you actually value integrity before--- well--- let's see--- the health and well- being of your players who are routinely sent back on the field post concussion or injury; or the health status of countless retired players who have physical, mental and emotional issues ranging from loss of memory, seizures, depression, suicide and multiple severe and debilitating physical ailments. It took years and lengthy and costly legal haggling to get the league to assume any responsibility for these unfortunate outcomes and even then, not nearly enough to account for the suffering and loss of life! It's a well known fact that players are routinely injected with Toradol before games so they can play pain free through their injuries. After all, what value are they on the side lines? It's not a narcotic. It's legal. Therefore it's okay. Integrity?
And now Ray Rice. While we don't know for sure exactly what went down in that casino elevator most of us out here in the public that you depend on believe an NFL trained and conditioned football player knocked a woman around then dragged her limp body out of that elevator seemingly without regard. In the court of public opinion Roger you are being slammed because the measly 2 game suspension SEEMS to send a message that in the scheme of things (domestic abuse-wise) if it's a first offense and you're thought of as a "good guy" you'll get off a little lighter in your system that you claim strives for "consistency" in the fines and suspensions (sentences) that you the commissioner (judge) hand down.
The list goes on and on about incidents off the field of play. Ray Rice's woman- bashing will be replaced by the next shooting, murder, DUI or domestic violence case. Integrity? Nah.
Well Roger, as a member of the public that you depend on and as a woman---you know-- that segment of the public you want to attract more to your game/league----THIS woman has little confidence that you actually value integrity before--- well--- let's see--- the health and well- being of your players who are routinely sent back on the field post concussion or injury; or the health status of countless retired players who have physical, mental and emotional issues ranging from loss of memory, seizures, depression, suicide and multiple severe and debilitating physical ailments. It took years and lengthy and costly legal haggling to get the league to assume any responsibility for these unfortunate outcomes and even then, not nearly enough to account for the suffering and loss of life! It's a well known fact that players are routinely injected with Toradol before games so they can play pain free through their injuries. After all, what value are they on the side lines? It's not a narcotic. It's legal. Therefore it's okay. Integrity?
And now Ray Rice. While we don't know for sure exactly what went down in that casino elevator most of us out here in the public that you depend on believe an NFL trained and conditioned football player knocked a woman around then dragged her limp body out of that elevator seemingly without regard. In the court of public opinion Roger you are being slammed because the measly 2 game suspension SEEMS to send a message that in the scheme of things (domestic abuse-wise) if it's a first offense and you're thought of as a "good guy" you'll get off a little lighter in your system that you claim strives for "consistency" in the fines and suspensions (sentences) that you the commissioner (judge) hand down.
The list goes on and on about incidents off the field of play. Ray Rice's woman- bashing will be replaced by the next shooting, murder, DUI or domestic violence case. Integrity? Nah.
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