I feel like I’ve been neglecting the blog. I’ve been very busy working on HPS projects and so it’s distracted me from self reflection.
I have this growing stack of grown-up things to do on my desk that I’ve been avoiding. I dread these sorts of things that are really just part of life.
Tomorrow I need to take a good chunk of the day and make phone calls, one after the other. I’ll probably spend most of the day in voice mail hell.
First, there’s the strange letter I got from the Kansas Department of Revenue. It’s on the right stationary etc. but it seems so strange that I can’t help but wonder if it’s a scam – thus the need to call.
Essentially, the letter tells me that my 2008 taxes have been “adjusted” and I was found not to be eligible for the food sales tax deduction. I have someone do my taxes, but we go over the forms very carefully together. In 2008 I took the standard deduction. I don’t remember, nor have I ever heard of, this food sales tax thing. Why would they be telling this now, a full year late?
Even stranger, the letter seems to indicate that I owe money, but I can’t tell how much as it never just lists an amount. There’s an attached chart in five point type I can’t make heads or tails out of. Maybe that’s supposed to tell me what I owe? Groan….
The letter also has numerous grammatical errors – another red flag.
Then there’s the latest insurance issue.
My new lung doctor decided that to treat my acid reflux, we should double the dose of my evening medication. My reflux was getting so bad that even with a CPAP etc. I was having a lot of reflux at night – sometimes even to the point of vomiting. My dry cough was also worse and that can be brought on by reflux.
I had enough of the medication that I just doubled up for a month to see if the solution would work. Sure enough, the improvement is noticeable.
Here’s the trouble.
This medication is available over the counter at 20 mg. I need 40 mg. My insurance doesn’t want to cover it because although the 40 mg dose is by prescription, technically I can double up on the OTC version. The problem with that is a month’s worth at the higher dose is a couple of hundred dollars. And, since it’s OTC, it doesn’t get applied to my Medicaid spend down total.
There is an alternative drug that is by prescription only I can try, but the doc thought this would be a cheaper solution. I have to call the insurance company and find out if the other drug is covered – and if so than for me, the cheaper option is actually the more expensive drug (even though the “cheaper” drug is working fine.) I think this is an example of the waste in the system. It’s also a pain for me as to resolve this will not just involve calls to the insurance company, but also the doctor and the pharmacy etc.
Then there’s social security. We’re still trying to work out what is a “work expense.” I’ve got to work on that tomorrow too.
I hate paperwork!
I have this growing stack of grown-up things to do on my desk that I’ve been avoiding. I dread these sorts of things that are really just part of life.
Tomorrow I need to take a good chunk of the day and make phone calls, one after the other. I’ll probably spend most of the day in voice mail hell.
First, there’s the strange letter I got from the Kansas Department of Revenue. It’s on the right stationary etc. but it seems so strange that I can’t help but wonder if it’s a scam – thus the need to call.
Essentially, the letter tells me that my 2008 taxes have been “adjusted” and I was found not to be eligible for the food sales tax deduction. I have someone do my taxes, but we go over the forms very carefully together. In 2008 I took the standard deduction. I don’t remember, nor have I ever heard of, this food sales tax thing. Why would they be telling this now, a full year late?
Even stranger, the letter seems to indicate that I owe money, but I can’t tell how much as it never just lists an amount. There’s an attached chart in five point type I can’t make heads or tails out of. Maybe that’s supposed to tell me what I owe? Groan….
The letter also has numerous grammatical errors – another red flag.
Then there’s the latest insurance issue.
My new lung doctor decided that to treat my acid reflux, we should double the dose of my evening medication. My reflux was getting so bad that even with a CPAP etc. I was having a lot of reflux at night – sometimes even to the point of vomiting. My dry cough was also worse and that can be brought on by reflux.
I had enough of the medication that I just doubled up for a month to see if the solution would work. Sure enough, the improvement is noticeable.
Here’s the trouble.
This medication is available over the counter at 20 mg. I need 40 mg. My insurance doesn’t want to cover it because although the 40 mg dose is by prescription, technically I can double up on the OTC version. The problem with that is a month’s worth at the higher dose is a couple of hundred dollars. And, since it’s OTC, it doesn’t get applied to my Medicaid spend down total.
There is an alternative drug that is by prescription only I can try, but the doc thought this would be a cheaper solution. I have to call the insurance company and find out if the other drug is covered – and if so than for me, the cheaper option is actually the more expensive drug (even though the “cheaper” drug is working fine.) I think this is an example of the waste in the system. It’s also a pain for me as to resolve this will not just involve calls to the insurance company, but also the doctor and the pharmacy etc.
Then there’s social security. We’re still trying to work out what is a “work expense.” I’ve got to work on that tomorrow too.
I hate paperwork!
Comments
I am allergic to the OTC PPI, so my insurance couldn't argue that way, but when the doc increased me from 40mg to 80mg, they had a fit and tried to claim nobody needs to be on that high of a dose.