Back to Good

Okay, not really. But my back is starting to feel much better, even with my little set back this weekend. Dr. Baker could tell too, my muscles were much tighter and I was harder to adjust today, but when he did, I felt so much better. So, right now I'm feeling pretty good.

That's what always happens right after an appointment, but the next day I'm all sore, so I shouldn't be so happy right now. Tomorrow's probably going to suck. And I have two more appointments this week - on Wednesday and Thursday. I've been keeping track - that's seven times I've been so far and by the end of the week it'll be nine.

So, imagine my surprise when I got my insurance notices in the mail saying what it cost (holy cow, thank god for insurance) and how much they paid... and what I might still owe. Now, the documents clearly say that they are not a bill, but here's what it looks like:

Initial Visit -

Total Billed Charges: ......................................... $260.00
Minus Member Savings/Discounts arranged by BCBSKC: $97.67
Minus Other Not-Eligible Charges: ............................$0.00
Leaving and Allowable Provider Charge of: ..............$162.33
Minus Plan Payment of: .....................................$132.33
Leaving a Balance you may owe: .............................$30.00


Second Visit (and the next five after that, I assume) -

Total Billed Charges: ....................................... $55.00
Minus Member Savings/Discounts arranged by BCBSKC: $14.09
Minus Other Not-Eligible Charges: .........................$0.00
Leaving and Allowable Provider Charge of: ..............$25.91
Minus Plan Payment of: .......................................$25.91
Leaving a Balance you may owe: ............................$15.00

So... I totally thought that I was going to owe them money because getting better was certainly going to cost me something because I had no other choice but to do it. So, I brought the "not bills" in today and asked them about it and they told me that I do not owe them anything. Even though one of the "not bills" told me I had a $30 copay because Dr. Baker was considered a specialist or he took x-rays or... something.

Regardless of the reason, I still don't owe anything. Thankfully. I thought I was going to owe $120 today and when I told my bank account, it cried.

So, bottom line is I'm feeling pretty good right now and I still haven't given them a dime. It's all coming directly from my insurance... which is magical, and I have no idea how it works considering they think that I may owe money. I just hope that it doesn't come back to bite me later considering that I don't get how it works.

Can you imagine? If I had to pay all of that money right out of pocket because I didn't have insurance, that would be... *does math* $590.00. So, for all you people who nagged me to fix myself 2 and a half years ago when this happened the last time and I had no insurance... I say, "See! I knew I couldn't afford it then. I can't even really afford that now!" I feel pretty vindicated...

Let's see... not much else is new. I'm watching new TV shows, thankful that the writer's strike is over and I'm reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It is full of ANGST. I mean... it's a lot of angst. I get that's exactly how everything felt and was SO important in high school... but isn't that why people don't want to go back and relive high school? I hear that the next books get better, so I may continue with the series. I'm only half way through the first book and not entirely committed yet. I'll let you know how that goes.

Otherwise, I'm just working (currently I'm compiling quarterly stats. It sucks. I have no idea how I got myself into it.), getting my back cracked, and sitting in awe of my insurance "not bills".

Exciting times in the Blackwell household.


End blog.

They Don't Sell Magic

What a surprise. The part I need for my toilet tank mechanics isn't something that's sold by itself. And wouldn't you know it, all the major parts that I can buy are not similar to my own toilet, so I can't just buy the whole flush valve and only use the cap for the overflow tube because most of them don't have one. That's right, the part that seems to be so vital in my toilet isn't so vital in any other toilet because the part doesn't even really exist. Probably why mine committed suicide. It felt alone in the world.

I thought that I could just get a longer refill tube and stick it down into the overflow tube and all would be well. I mean, that's how all normal toilets seem to work. But, alas, no. I don't have one of those float ball type of toilets. No, mine has a different mechanism for stopping the water, and it broke. It's part of the flush valve. That is why the back of my toilet tank overfloweth, flooding the floor of my bathroom, and causing a super special leak into my basement.

So, I did what anyone would do in this situation. I made my own solution to the problem. I have fashioned something that seems to work, and work well. The troubling question is - how long is it going to work? I know I'll panic every time I have to flush in the next few days, but if it works, I'll forget about this mishap and then when I least expect it, my toilet will explode again.

I wish you could have seen my bathroom. Water sprayed all over the walls from the refill tube. It was like a cartoon hose flipping all about under pressure. Everything got wet, including me. It was pretty awesome.

Man, where is Hermione Granger when you need her? At least it's working now, albeit, not through magic.

My own ingenuity saves the day!


End Blog.


PS - The propane tank on my gas grill leaks. I'm afraid to fix it because it really MIGHT blow up, but I think all it needs is a new valve thing-a-ma-jig or some rubber gaskets or something. Did I think to look for anything to repair my grill? No. Of course not.

I wonder if I could hire a handyman who would also be a maid. That would be a splendid service.

My Toilet Runneth Over

Some magical thing that usually lives peacefully inside my toilet tank has committed suicide. And apparently, it was the glue that made all the other toilet parts love each other and work together in blissful harmony. Without it, a great flood has taken place in my bathroom. I am now on a quest to find a suitable replacement for magic. I'm thinking about calling Hermione Granger.

Reparo!


End Blog.

Daniel's Magical Mustache

Dan stopped cutting his hair and shaving his mustache parts sometime in March, bringing much joy to the land. He looks like he's preparing for time travel back into the 70's.

In that light, I have given Daniel magical powers, just like Samantha Stephens had on Bewitched. Which would also make Beth Darrin. It just goes to show that true love can endure the most vexing situations!

Enjoy. Laugh. Repeat.

I wonder what sort of spells he's casting... maybe I don't want to know.

Life would be a little less lively without this guy.


End Blog.

Insurance Magic

I wanted to get a whole bunch of quotes for homeowners insurance so that I knew I was getting a good price. But, it turns out, that within the first two quotes I received, I got both the highest and lowest quote humanly possible. One, All State quoted me at $930 a year. This floored me because my mortgage people were estimating something around $600 for all the estimates they gave me. Then I talked to a guy at MetLife, who told me it would only be $415 a year.

This intrigued me. So, I kept getting quotes. And kept getting quotes... and kept getting quotes. Then, I got quotes from different agents within the same company. Insurance is an insanely crazy thing, let me tell you. I've gotten four different quotes from All State: $930, $706.25, $614.03, and $489.44.

Crazy. Look at all those different numbers!

You know what else is crazy? I can't stop myself. I've gotten 16 quotes. I need to go to Insurance Quote Addiction Anonymous or something. I just can't believe how different they are. And did you know that Farmers gives you a discount for being a scientist? Now I just sit here and ask what kinds of crazy discounts I can get. I have a new roof, can you discount that? I even got a discount because I'm a GW Alumnus. Seriously, this insurance thing... it's magic.

I think you should become super good friends with your insurance agent, because the more they know about you, the more discounts they can find. I'm gonna go back to that MetLife guy. He was one of the first people I talked to, so I didn't know of the magic that is random insurance discounts.

And this is all without the 10-20% discounts you get when you insure your auto with the same company as your home.

So, learn your lesson well - shop around for insurance to find the best rates. The sad thing is, I'm comparing apples to apples on these because I make sure they're all quoting me the same replacement value numbers and personal liability and whatnot... and they're STILL so different.

Insurance world is a mystery.


End Blog.