Wichita, Ames, Jefferson City, Sioux city, and Green Bay

Oh my. Hope you're not a fan of direct flights.

is that five figures out of your pocket or total?

Both, unfortunately.

The home nurse is better than not the home nurse, but I also haven't seen a bill for that yet. I should check and see if they've invoiced my insurance yet, so I don't get surprised by that too...since that I need to afford, because we're out of options on that front. It's that or pain.

Though I do wish she talked less. Last week I was in such bad pain that I lay down for the hour between meds, and it was nice. But I'd like to not have to hide.

ita, I'd say be honest, but not too blunt, with her. You're in pain and she's a nurse--she ought to get it. If there's nothing for her to do in that hour, tell her you don't mind if she...whatever (eats? Reads? Goes outside to make phone calls?) and that you need quiet and whatever else (darkness, no scents, whatever). I know it's still a new thing and you don't want her to get pissy, which is why I say not blunt (normally I'd say its your care, make it work for you).

Cutiehead baby!

Yay Houston!

meara, tell me when you are coming to Vallejo, that is 20 minutes from me (and not infrequently where I work)

It's still being remarkably difficult to find the cost of the procedure, but 20% is a pretty big percentage, and there are two procedures and we're definitely looking at five figures.

I was just reading that crazy lengthy Time article about healthcare costs and was thinking of you- one of the examples was someone who was getting some sort of electronic device implanted, and no one told him the price of it beforehand, and he got totally fuxored, financially, after the procedure. (he had insurance IIRC)

no one told him the price of it beforehand, and he got totally fuxored, financially, after the procedure

Yeah, that poor guy. Basically, everyone was a poor guy in that story.

And why don't we have medical billing advocates on every corner? Because clearly they're needed and nobody knows the business exists!

Seriously, that article was horrifying but very eye-opening. I literally had no idea that I could just call up the hospital and dispute charges on my bill. (I mean, I knew I could do that if, for example, they charged me for a service I didn't actually receive. But it never would have occurred to me to negotiate with them about payment for a procedure that actually happened!)

Yeah, that would totally be me. My doctor said he'd go to the mat in order to make sure insurance pays their bit, and that the hospital doesn't charge me outrageously for the trial, but the truth is I can't afford the real deal if the trial works, and I don't know if the knowledge is worth that first cheque. If this were going to cure my migraines, I might be selling myself on the street corner, but although my neck/shoulder is definitely bad, I'd rather throw small things at it (and argue with insurance about covering them...that's my task right now--the hospital is calling me for money, and I'm trying to get the information I need to appeal the rejected claims for last year's work...I don't want any new, expensive work this year).

I mean, fuck, I pulled up my EOBs for the doctor (thank you, tablet technology), and he couldn't understand what they were referring to without looking at my medical records (SURGERY, ANESTHESIA, ANESTHESIA, ANESTHESIA didn't cover anything he thought he'd done), and once he looked it up his response was "Of course that's what you do for that diagnosis...did a person tell you why they rejected it?"

So, that's on my task list for this week.

I know it's still a new thing and you don't want her to get pissy, which is why I say not blunt

Yeah, I think there'll be a standard lie down inbetween the shots from now on (well, I'm three weeks into a month's prescription--I have to call the social worker to make sure this keeps happening), and I might even see if I can leave the room (she may want to observe me, but fuck--my eyes will close--that's never not good).

But it never would have occurred to me to negotiate with them about payment for a procedure that actually happened!

When I first came to the US, I found a lump in my breast after 2 months here, 1 month before health insurance would start (ask me why I like Canada still...), and I had the second best situation to being rich--the cousin I was living with was a doctor, and she was married to a chief of staff at a decently sized nearby hospital.

All the doctors and nurses worked for free, and it was done under local to avoid the extra anaesthesia costs, so all I had to pay were the hospital fees. And said chief of staff told me to call billing and tell them I was uninsured and paying cash, and ask how would that affect the total bill.

Not how you want to learn stuff, but on the other hand--stuff got learnt.