June 2018 Moms

I've got something to say! (rants 3/19)

*TW LC*
Me & MH: 32
DS: 6/1/18 (Pre-E; IUGR; seizures; NICU)
TTC #2: 12/2019
Sept 2020: HSG possible blocked right tube
Nov 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFN
Dec 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFP!!! EDD 9/18

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Re: I've got something to say! (rants 3/19)

  • @doxiemoxie212 It's hard to imagine when there's yet another nor'easter coming.  FX it's the last one.  I'm just happy I'm away for this one lol.
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  • Selfishly started because I need to rant about insurance (per usual):

    We switched from MH's insurance to my insurance this year because with the family cost when adding the baby it was slightly cheaper and on my company's plan we get more contribution to the HSA. So here I am trying to be "a consumer of healthcare" weighing out all the different scenarios between my plan and MH's plan and adding baby but we are still getting screwed. I finally get the EOB from my regular prenatal appointment in January (it took them three months! where as our insurance last year took maybe a week) and they aren't covering $34 of it. Our other insurance covered 100% of prenatal appointments. Even our NT scan. I know it will go toward our deductible which is kind of a horse a piece because we would have the same deductible either way, but now I need to call them and ask why a portion of a preventative care visit wasn't covered. I can't wait to get the bill from our Level 2 anatomy scan. I'm assuming they will say because it wasn't a routine scan that they won't cover it all.

    Meanwhile I am still trying to figure out why they didn't cover as much as our insurance last year did for an eye exam that was literally the same test from the same doctor. I just hate feeling like I am getting bamboozled and that I have to do the extra work to call them regarding every claim to figure out what arbitrary reasoning they used to cover or not cover something. It makes me really excited to spend hours on the phone with them while on leave with a newborn trying to sort out the bills from delivery. Should be fun!  
    *TW LC*
    Me & MH: 32
    DS: 6/1/18 (Pre-E; IUGR; seizures; NICU)
    TTC #2: 12/2019
    Sept 2020: HSG possible blocked right tube
    Nov 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFN
    Dec 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFP!!! EDD 9/18

  • Ugh, agreed @doxiemoxie212. It feels like this winter has lasted FOREVER!! Not looking forward to the next nor'easter, @becca_123.

    Funny story, my mom (who lives in the midwest) always called nor'easters "north-easterners." It took me awhile to figure out what she was talking about. 
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  • @krashke I hate insurance bullshit. I hate FSAs and HSAs and all the rest. My FSA just told me they need a receipt for a doctor appt in November 2017. Like uh ok? But they’re saying the date is the date I paid, not the date I went to the doctor so I get to spend half the day on the phone with billing depts trying to track this down. Joyyyyyy to the wooorrrllddd
  • My rant is that leg cramps are back... I only get them when sleeping. I woke up in the night in intense pain, trying not to scream and wake up DH. 
    Nothing I do helps- water, potassium, milk of magnesia, nada. I'll ask the Dr next week but pretty sure there's not much else to try.
  • @May14th2011 I've been getting them really bad recently too! Like multiple a night and also trying so hard not to wake MH up. Idk what to do either, so let me know if your Dr gives you tips! My next appt isn't until 4/3. 
    Me 30 Him 30
    Married
     August 2015
    DS born 5/23/2018
    TTC #2 July 2020



  • Why do maternity blouses always make me look like the Good Year Blimp?? I don’t think I’m that big yet, but all clothes that fit right now are the amorphous, shapeless, blouses. I wish I could wear t shirts everyday to work... 
  • @starla487 I do wear t-shirts. I just throw a blazer or cardigan on top.  

    +1 to being over winter. I'm running out of winter clothes that fit me and don't want to buy anything at this point.  There is so much snow on the ground and no sign of it melting any time soon.
  • @2589 I'll never forget waking up to pee at 5 am, only to see DD coming inside, as she told me she had gone out there because she thought she heard her dad (who had left earlier to go fishing with his dad.) Our deadbolt is broken, so DH couldn't lock it when he left, not that he would have thought we needed to anyway. 
  • @marcus7676 - yees- t shirts with a cardigan is basically my wardrobe right now because I refuse to buy more winter maternity stuff.

    krashke - right there with you.  I had to call last week because I got a $46 bill from COLLECTIONS...I had just paid a $46 bill within the week of receiving it (all for well visits for my daughter so I'm not convinced I owe them anyway...).  Turns out they used the wrong date of service which sent it to collections...THEN I find out there is an outstanding balance of $112...a bill which I never received...for yet another well visit.  They looked it up and the medical coder marked it wrong because when they read the charts and the doc asked how DD was doing I said she has a little cough/congestion but otherwise great.  Seriously was just a side comment at her 18 month check up.  Not one extra thing was done to check her out or look into it and they tried to bill $112 for that....super.

  • @kmurdock925 omg! I would be furious. And just mentioning that she had a slight cold was enough to screw it all up. It makes it hard to be an advocate for care because you don't want to say the wrong thing. MH went to a regular wellness visit and the doctor asked him if he ever has knee or back pain (because he's 6'5") and he was like "yeah I guess sometimes" just like we all do. And then she started asking him about this super rare giant-ism disease trying to diagnose him. And when it went to insurance they were refusing to pay for it. 
    *TW LC*
    Me & MH: 32
    DS: 6/1/18 (Pre-E; IUGR; seizures; NICU)
    TTC #2: 12/2019
    Sept 2020: HSG possible blocked right tube
    Nov 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFN
    Dec 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFP!!! EDD 9/18

  • @kmurdock925 That's so annoying.  I can't stand how complex medical billing is, a simple slip up can be so expensive and it's hard to even tell when it's wrong sometimes.  Last year I went for my annual eye exam with a new doctor, who is also an ohpthalmologist.  She asked if I'd ever had problems with my eyes and I said no, just the occasional dryness.  So she apparently diagnosed me then and there with dry eyes and it went through as a medical bill rather than a preventative vision bill.  I was so furious and complained until they switched it.  
  • @kmurdock925 We had a similar experience with a well visit- while we were there I mentioned dry spots on her elbows, she already had her shirt off for the rest of the exam so I didn’t think she had to go out of her way to peek at at... yep got charged for that. You think they’d be happy we avoided a separate office visit. Craziness!


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  • Someone should start a concierge-style business that helps wade through all the insurance/medical billing BS. I'd seriously pay for it because it would probably save me money in the long run. 
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  • Insurance companies are a nightmare... even for us health professionals.  Don't even ask me how much time I waste on the phone with them per week or waste doing authorizations on stuff that is a complete waste of time/potentially detrimental to patient status/was previously covered for YEARS, etc..
    We are so excited to grow our family!
    DD #1 Born 10/3/2014

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  • krashke - that is crazy!  My DH is 6'4" and his joints hurt all of the time (hereditary) - he would be FUMING if that happened to him.

    becca_123 - I would love to be able to do a quick google diagnosis of stuff and bill for it. 

    2589            - dry spots...seriously.  That is about as bad as saying I sneezed yesterday and getting charged for a sick visit. 

    LaceyBee522  - I'd pay for that.  With DD1 I ended up being on 3 insurance policies at the time of birth and a year later the billing still wasn't figured out.  I'd be lying if I said I'm slightly nervous there are going to find secrett "unpaid" charges from her when I have this one.  It was to the point where one carrier had to call the primary carrier and the provider on a 3 way call and tell them straight up they were breaking the law by billing the way they did.

  • I’m mid-way changing providers because our insurance system is so bad. Still don’t actually have an OB who wants to see me. Waiting on a referral.
  • =caenis= said:
    WTF is with all this back-and-forth with insurance companies in the US? Doesn't all this extra admin cost *them* money too? They have to check over every single claim, deal with confused customers, get health care providers on the line to confirm (as per @sabby2 ), and apparently all that legwork still results in inconsistent decision-making. That costs everyone a lot of money. Do they not have rules that are laid out in advance about what is covered and what isn't? It just boggles my mind and makes me genuinely angry to read about the time some of your spend trying to figure insurance details out, only to have it mischarged in the end anyway. @krashke @kmurdock925 @doxiemoxie212 ...it really sucks and I feel for you.

    My insurance company in the Netherlands literally has ALL the details you could ever want on their website. You search it and can immediately see, based on your package, what is covered and what is not. I have never had to call them about anything, though they are available by phone, email and chat for questions. I'm guessing they can afford this friendly service because people don't have to contact them very often since the system is simple and straightforward??!! Also, they don't want customers to switch to a different insurance provider (which we have the opportunity to do yearly), so they're super nice.

    FWIW I pay 120 euros/month for my insurance + my son's. The most I'd ever have to pay out of pocket per year is 385 euros. I might pay 10 euros to supplement a visit to a specialist here or 200 for a wisdom tooth removal, but the amount I'm expected by society to pony up for healthcare services is capped at 385 euros (plus my monthly premium) per year. Society picks up the rest. Also, the budget is balanced so we're not bankrupting the country with this system. It *is* possible, though admittedly it's also about society's priorities. I'm simplifying it, but not really that much. More info here, for anyone curious.

    But really. WTF. :(
    Our insurance in the states is fucked. I don’t have it nearly as bad as some, but DH and I pay at least $500/month in insurance with a $2500 deductible, plus copays and some things only covered 80% (and it can be difficult to tell ahead of time what will be fully covered etc). I’m already gearing up to be angry about our hospital bill for delivery. 
  • bearmoonsbearmoons member
    edited March 2018
    Insurance companies make me nuts. As both a medical provider and a consumer. For reference @=caenis= our premiums are $180/mo for MH and myself, and will be $240/mo once the baby comes (ETA: I meant per pay period, so really like $500/mo once baby comes. Derp) . With a $3k deductible, and then it will pay 80/20.  We have already hit the deductible, since my anatomy scan was about $3k. I believe our max out of pocket is $6500 this year, but I had a thought in the middle of the night recently....does all this reset when we add the baby?????

    I waste so much time signing orders, writing letters, calling insurance companies for scans/meds/procedures, it's ridiculous. And 99% of the time, it's not a medical person you talk to, it takes much more time to finally reach a medical person. So yes, a ton of wasted $$$ all around. 

    As a consumer, I have had to argue and waste hours calling various places about my husbands meds (I call, because I know what to argue about, since I work in medicine). I can not tell you how many times things are billed incorrectly, on either the office side or the insurance side. I can't imagine how many people just pay for things they shouldn't be paying for. 
  • $770/month for our family, $2000 individual deductible @ a rate of 80/20%, once deductible is met they pay 90/10% until individual out of pocket max of $5000(or $7000 family) is met. 

    Isn’t also crazy how different the plans and coverage are, even from state to state? 


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  • @BurlapandLace that's the exact sort of thing my mom does with my kids. Drives me nuts.
  • @BurlapandLace that is sooo uncool. Why does she even care???

    To everyone talking about insurance, I'm sorry not to reply, but it seriously gives me agita to even think about, so I've had to skim over. I do, however, feel the need to call my insurance provider now and see what will actually be covered re: my delivery. 
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  • doxiemoxie212doxiemoxie212 member
    edited March 2018
    @LaceyBee522 good luck finding that out. There's a crazy video about a dad who tried... I should try to find the video...

    ETA:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tct38KwROdw
  • @LaceyBee522 I found a cost estimator on my insurance website (Anthem) and I was able to search for the procedure and get an estimation. Took me awhile to figure out that it was under "delivery" (vaginal and c-section). And then it lists all of the hospitals in network and what the cost would be, what my plan would cover, and what would go to my deductible/OOP. 

    Granted this is just a very general estimation and it might be different for twins but it made me feel ever so slightly better knowing that we will have more in our HSA by my due date then they estimated. They estimated about $3100 (my cost) for both a vaginal and c-section deliver, FYI.  
    *TW LC*
    Me & MH: 32
    DS: 6/1/18 (Pre-E; IUGR; seizures; NICU)
    TTC #2: 12/2019
    Sept 2020: HSG possible blocked right tube
    Nov 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFN
    Dec 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFP!!! EDD 9/18

  • @starla487 I refuse to buy maternity blouses so i don't look like a balloon. Only form fitting on the belly for me!

    +1 to being over winter. It's mid 50s today, and then we'll get a few more inches on wed. I just can't handle it anymore.

    also, insurance confuses me and drives me up a wall. And I work in the medical coder field lol. But I don't deal with insurances at all. 



    me:35 DH:34
    DS: born oct 2012
    TFAS: BFP #1 aug16. miscarriage sept16
              BFP #2 nov16 MMC dec16. d&c jan17
              BFP #3 sept17  EDD 5/31/18
    fingers crossed for our rainbow baby
  • catlady1215catlady1215 member
    edited March 2018
    My rant is my day. My dad came over to help DH with some stuff in our construction site/baby room. There's missing floor boards along the one wall and they didn't cover it back up. Guess who's cat decided to crawl into it then crawl in between the floor layers under DS' bedroom  :(   I was a hot fricking mess. Worried about her... and the thought of having to rip of DS' carpet then floor boards. We could see her laying back there but when she's hiding there's no coaxing her back out. Hours later we gave up. Set up the baby monitor in there so we could watch for her to come out. Figured if she didn't by this evening we'd have to reevaluate. Finally she did! She's a gross mess but out. I ended up clocking out of work for all of this. So now i have hours to make up this wk on top of the stress.

    When it happened, luckily i heard something weird, went up to that room, and found the other cat sitting there stairing at the hole. So we had an idea she might have gone in there after searching the house. Otherwise I never would have even thought she'd get her fat belly in there and we would have covered it up and blocked her in.
    me:35 DH:34
    DS: born oct 2012
    TFAS: BFP #1 aug16. miscarriage sept16
              BFP #2 nov16 MMC dec16. d&c jan17
              BFP #3 sept17  EDD 5/31/18
    fingers crossed for our rainbow baby
  • @catlady1215 - oh my goodness! That’s stressful. I’m sorry and so glad y’all were able to figure out she was in there before closing the floor back up! 
  • @catlady1215  :o omg! Glad she came out on her own at least!!


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  • elsie42elsie42 member
    edited March 2018
    People can make a lot of complaints about military healthcare but I definitely count myself lucky to have it, especially after reading everyone's comments. We've had people joke to us in the past that we should have a baby before DH gets out and I realize they weren't kidding. 

    @catlady1215 omg I would be a mess too! I'm so glad she's okay!!
    DD born 6/21/2018
    DS born 9/24/2020
  • @elsie42 yes! That's definitely something I'm grateful for. 
  • @catlady1215 def glad you didn’t lock your cat inside your floors! That’s nightmare stuff. 

    Is anyone else irrationally angry that December is up but no one is posting in it even though probably no one from December even knows they’re pregnant yet?
  • Lol @doxiemoxie212 I was trying to figure out in my head how soon the December peeps would start getting BFP’s but I’m mentally too lazy at this point to go there.


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  • @2589 it’s taking all my self control to not post the prelim threads for them lol  :D
  • @catlady1215 that sounds exactly like what my asshole cat was doing this weekend. He found the one spot of unfinished space in our basement and jumped from the top of the freezer into the ceiling and walked around all the nails, wires, lights and the fireplace stack above our family room. I was freaking out. 

    Glad and your cat got out safe. 
    *TW LC*
    Me & MH: 32
    DS: 6/1/18 (Pre-E; IUGR; seizures; NICU)
    TTC #2: 12/2019
    Sept 2020: HSG possible blocked right tube
    Nov 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFN
    Dec 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFP!!! EDD 9/18

  • @doxiemoxie212 - at least if you post them, you know they will be done right. Haha. 
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