Sorry it's a rough week, Gud! Hope it gets better.

Askye, glad most folks are being nice and reasonable!

Rick, how old are your twins now? I'm so glad I'm not dealing with kiddos during this, it's hard enough dealing with just me!

Played scrabble with my roommate this afternoon after she made a bunch of ribs and gave me some. So that was nice!

Sorry you are having a bad week, Gud. Medical expenses are way too confusing, I'm sorry you have to deal with that. Getting a bill for an ER visit is just not a thing that should happen. It's an emergency!

I hear you on that, Rick.

I just found myself thinking that Jesse should ask her milkman to bring her an extra pint. That's something fictional people have been known to do, I think?

Yes! Or I could buy a pint, actually... Also another friend just suggested something shelf-stable...

Grocery order delivered, no toilet paper.

Getting a bill for an ER visit is just not a thing that should happen. It's an emergency!

At the very least you should get one bill and it should be in-network or not, not a slew of bills all with their own insurance network associations. I already paid this physicans group a couple grand ages ago, after they threatened to send a bill I never received to a collection agency. Now a year later, I'm getting contacted by a collection agency over some other bill I never received or some adjustment to the charges I was never informed about? WTF? How can this be fucking legal?

That's ridiculous. None of that should work like that!

I hate our medical system so very much.

Gud, if it's not that much, I guess you could consider the value of your time and if it's worth fighting them over it. I dunno: I hate to see them get away with soaking people, but your peace of mind is worth a lot.

I don't think I could fight them, after I contacted them and gave them my address so they would actually send me a bill, they kept sending bills with different amounts. I don't think anyone could determine what amount was actually supposed to be paid.

I think if I ever got involved in politics it would be for a ballot initiative to make it that out-of-network third-party providers in hospitals had to negotiate their fee with the insurance company/hospital if the hospital was in-network for the patient and the patient paid one bill. I think some states have something like that.

Good to see you, Gud! Even during a bad stretch you are a welcome sight here.

Rick - I can't even with people arguing that in-person teaching can be replaced by online. It's ridiculous. You need a seminar structure with the teacher carefully/subtly guiding the conversation, pulling people in, engaging the room. It's vastly different. There are so many more cues given off by both student and teacher in person.

I mean, I love stand-up comedy specials, but even a pretty-good comedian in person is generally so much funnier. Because it's all about timing and they can modulate in real time to the room.