Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Craigtown Round-Up

1. How's the struggle going with our Health Insurance?

Well, the Hospital statement ("this is not a bill") arrived and it's a whopping $12,000-plus. Of course, this is twice as much as we were told it would be. My last phone conversation with a drone at the Insurance Company was so dismissive and unsatisfactory that I have been working with the agent ("insurance pimp") that services our company.

I actually have a contact name there (first and last!) and have been working with her to provide doctors' records to show that my wife's condition was, in fact, not diagnosed in the six months prior to our joining the plan and should not be dismissed as a "pre-existing condition."

In fact, this kind lady phoned me at work to verify that she received the records, they are being reviewed and she will keep me informed of the progress.

My only nagging worry is that the agent is a shill for the Insurance Company and will glad-hand me as long as it takes to use up my window of opportunity to appeal the denial of benefits. I plan to contact the Department of Justice in the Sate Capital before the 180 day deadline expires, though.


2. The Wife's Recovery



She is on the mend but is still sore and can only do restricted lifting. She can pick up and hug Mariel, which she could not do during her first week of recovery. She is also able to drive again.


3. Ants in The Bathroom!

I don't think I've mentioned that we've had an on-going problem with ants in our bath tub. Yep, since October, folks! We're on our second exterminating company. The consensus is that these are ants that like dampness and because of the rotten shower retrofit job, there's dampness behind the existing tiles.

This isn't a picture of OUR bathroom, but there are similarities. The window, for one thing. The tiles haven't (yet) started falling off the wall, but they're getting there.

We've been going nuts with the various options, none of which are really super-satisfying. Tub surround vs. new tile? Install a new window while we're at it? Brick up the window? Can a tub surround be made to work with the window where it is, or will it cause a worse problem?

Oy! Dorky Dad, a little help here!

You know, I think it's just about time for another "Budget LPs From The Sixties" entry...

7 Comments:

Blogger furiousBall said...

Oh man, I feel your pain with the insurance companies. Last month I finally settled an ER bill for a visit 3 freakin' years ago!

The biggest crime in this isn't the bills we end up paying in the end, it's actually our credit. See during the time the hospital and insurance company duke it out over who can charge what, the bill is in your name and when it goes long enough, a collection agency can become involved and then you'll have that on your report. Now I'm working to get that corrected.

I think we should just stop getting sick then we'll be fine. ;-)

Best wishes to your wife for a quick recovery.

April 10, 2007 3:10 PM  
Blogger whimsical brainpan said...

I hope the insurance company sees reason and does the right thing. I'm glad to hear that your wife is on the mend. And you seem to forget that our good friend Skeet works in pest control. I bet you she'd have some great advice about the ant problem.

April 10, 2007 7:49 PM  
Blogger Bardouble29 said...

I am so glad the wife is getting better. I hope you continue to raise hell with those people.

April 10, 2007 9:24 PM  
Blogger CS said...

I hate it that this has to be an ongoing problem (well, the aren't are too, I suppose, but I mean the insurance company) hwile you are dealing with your wife recovering from surgery. Good luck!

April 11, 2007 10:38 AM  
Blogger Judy said...

Time for another "Budget LPs from The Sixties" entry?? I think it's time for a bottle of gin.

But seriously, Craig, I'm glad your wife is on the mend, and I hope you really have found some help in Insurance Land.

Maybe you need an anteater? No. That wouldn't work. You can't be covered for an anteater if the ants are pre-existing. Maybe you'll just all have to stop bathing. It's okay. We out here in Bloggerville will never even notice.

All that's good -

April 11, 2007 4:31 PM  
Blogger Craig D said...

cs & wiz: I've let Michelle know you folks send your best.

I suggested the anteater as a solution, but she wasn't sure if they could be house-broken. So put her down as anti-anteater.

April 11, 2007 8:39 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Help? I don't even know how I'm going to fix our bathroom. However, I'm not sure why homebuilders think it's a good idea to put a window in a shower. Umm ... it's a SHOWER, people.

Glad that your wife is getting better. And if the insurance company sticks you with that bill, by the way, you can usually talk the hospital down a few thousand bucks.

April 11, 2007 11:35 PM  

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