I’m sure out there somewhere is a nice blues jazz number with that this title, “Medical Insurance Blues”. However, it’s two days later and I’m still seeing red. Here’s the background. I have allergies — lots and lots of them. Basically, if you say I’m allergic to the world you’ve got it. I don’t even bother with the skin test anymore because the very last time I had one everything reacted so they tested for the base (no reaction) and for the needle invading the skin (no reaction). So, now I have them test my blood (RASP test). The doctors explain (patiently I might add) that the test is not sensitive enough and we should do the skin test. I counter with “Do the blood tests and if you need the skin test for some items, we’ll do those.” I’ve never been asked to retake a test because everything tests high enough.
Now for the problem. It’s pollen season in force big time down here in Maryland. My eyes have been itching like crazy and at times I wish I could do the cartoon thing of popping them out of my head and running water over them. So, I’ve been using the over the counter allergy drops and tears and anything else I could find. Finally, I gave up and saw the doctor. He gave me a prescription (hereafter Rx) for some eye drops. We dropped it off at the pharmacy but had to wait to pick it up the next day.
Go to pick it up and insurance has refused to pay for the Rx. Why, you might ask. Are you ready for this one. The insurance won’t pay because, get this, over the counter eye drops work just as well as the Rx ones. I just love the way an insurance clerk, whom I have never met, and who doesn’t have a medical degree, and who has never talked to my doctor, can make such judgments. Yes, statistically, for some people, maybe the over the counter drops work just as well. But to make this declaration without ever asking if I’d used over the counter drops is pure bottom-line bean counting.
Will I fight this? No. This is the third time they’ve done this. Insurance is Anthem BC/BS PPO — the plan is a good one and generally they’re okay but every now and then they come up with these gotchas. I fought for one drug and finally got them to pay for it but it took 5 months of fighting and faxing documents and getting papers signed and made out by the doctor. But I couldn’t afford the over $110/month to pay out of pocket for the drug. It was exhausting and depressing experience and in this case not worth the effort.
The doctor gave me a sample and I’ll use it sparingly until the season is over. The insurance covered it last year and maybe they’ll cover it again next year, but this year they decided to make me suffer. The thing is it would be easier to take in some ways IF the insurance company would at least acknowledge that they’re playing with my health. When they refused the sleeping pills about two years ago they said, and this is almost a direct quote from the manager of the telephone support.
We’re not making medical decisions and we’re not stopping you from getting the drug. You can get it anytime you want, you just have to pay the full price for it.
I just love the way they can distance themselves from the suffering they cause. What did I do about the sleeping pill. I decided to do without. It’s easier since I quit work and now work at home. Every now and then I just can’t sleep until after being awake for 36 to 48 hours. I usually finally manage to sleep 8 hours and then I’m back to my normal 4-6 hours a night (if I’m lucky). Somedays, there just aren’t enough spoons within reach.
What I know is that I’m lucky. We have insurance through the company my husband works for, and many people don’t have any at all. I did find out that people with no insurance pay more for drugs than people with insurance. I’m not talking about the copay. If you pay attention to the sheets that come with your Rx, in some places they say the drug costs X and the insurance pays Y and your co-pay is Z. Then if insurance won’t pay, you usually pay the cost, X. However, if they make out the payment sheet thinking you don’t have insurance it’s usually X+some number B. So not having insurance costs even more for health care.
None of the present candidates have a decent health care plan. Mandatory health care unless the government is going to pay for it all isn’t going to do anything. If people can’t afford it now, they can’t afford it when it’s mandatory. Do govvies really think people don’t have it because they’d rather get a six pack? People don’t have health insurance because A) they have pre-existing conditions that run the cost through the roof or B) they’d rather feed their kids and keep a roof over their heads or C) they’ve got A and B. Let’s face it medical care should not be a profit making proposition. I mean who came up with the brilliant idea to put the health of our citizens in the hands of someone whose business model makes money by NOT providing healthcare? In America, we need free basic medical care for all citizens and clerks should not be denying things that a licensed doctor has prescribed for a patient. Why bother to license physicians if office clerks can over-rule them.
I feel better having let off steam. But I’m still outraged — and — my eyes still itch!
Sunday dawned overcast and cloudy after raining off and on all night. But up we got and headed to 
The Credible Amateur: Regular People with a Gift for Detection. Panelists: Earlene Fowler, Betty Hechtman, Rosemary Harris, Barb Goffman (Moderator), Kathryn R. Wall, and Maria Hudgins. The panel talked about the need to have police involvement and how to involve the police and yet be able to keep an amateur sleuth looking for clues. And as a corollary, the difficulty of having the sleuth solve a crime that the police can’t with all their experience. There’s the belief that if you develop your character fully then there will be personal, professional, or incidental traits or knowledge that allow the amateur to string information together in nonstandard ways allowing them to solve the crime. There was also discussion on how aggravating it is when authors have the police tell the amateur things that police would never divulge to a civilian — that, to be credible, the amateur needed to be given no more information than ‘reality’ would allow. The authors discussed how they handled these problems in their own mystery series. Later, they discussed keeping the readers reading even when they know that it’s total fantasy because no one could possibly fall over sixteen bodies in two years of book time. Some interesting ways to handle this dilemma were discussed (I’d tell more but you should consider attending a Malice is you really want to know)
Lifetime Achievement Interview: Peter Lovesy interviewed by Robert Barnard. This interview was totally fascinating as it covered growing up during World War II London and what it was being a child then: the games they played (collecting shrapnel and trying to find spies), books they read, the billeting of the children to areas outside of London. Then they covered Lovesey’s early career as a sports writer and his interest in the Victorian Era and sports then and now (writing articles on the history of sports: running). Some overviews of his writing process, books to film, the genesis ideas that later led to books. Once again an interview that was entertaining, informative, and humorous.
Okay, it’s me again. Technically, it is I, but that still just sounds too weird no matter what Chicago Manual of Style says. Anyway, as with yesterday, we’re going to take a quick break and get something to eat. So if you’re looking at this and don’t see any pictures, rest assured that we’ll be adding them in a little later. If you’re looking at this and you see pictures … well thank you for reading, remember to tip your blogger, and try the veal.
Touch of Woo-Woo: Paranormal. Panelists: Lillian Stewart Carl, Elena Santangelo, Carole Nelson Douglas, Maria Lima (Moderator), Casey Daniels, and Lorna Barrett. The panelist talked about what they know about their characters that may not make it into the book. The melding of paranormal themes and myths in a story. There was a lot of give and take on character development, would the story be the same without the paranormal element, and why a paranormal element anyway. These types of panels really offer some insight into the thinking, planning, and research that goes into writing a book.
Next was You’re History!: The Past and Its Mysteries. Panelists: Sharan Newman (Moderator), Dana Camron, Kathy Lynn Emerson, Aileen Baron, Kate Gallison, and Sally Wright. Since I’ve always loved historical mysteries, I thought this would be a great panel to sit in on. It was. Unfortunately, and with a bit of embarrassment, I have to admit that I haven’t read any of these authors (but see above about the dealers room), that is shortly to be remedied. Another reason to attend the panels is to listen to authors talk about their works (without giving any plot points away). One of the interesting questions the panel was asked by the moderator was to list one thing about the time period that they write about that they think most people don’t know or have wrong. Among other items, we learned that Griffith Park in LA has a curse on it. There was also a bit of hilarity about 1812 — the year, the time, and the overture. The authors also talked about how when writing historicals you are doing as much world building as a science fiction or a fantasy author. That an author has to make the time period accessible to modern readers while remaining true to the time period. When asked if they would change a fact if it upset the plot, they unanimously stated they’d change the plot rather than ignore a known historical truth. I found the discussion and the answers fascinating and really will follow up on all these authors.
Guest of Honor Interview: Charlaine Harris interviewed by Toni L.P. Kelner. This hour just flew by. Charlaine is as charming, forthright, and entertaining as any of her characters. We learned how she got into writing. A bit of the background and an update on True Blood, the HBO series based on the Sookie Stackhouse books. Upcoming works and some background on the Lily Bard and the Aurora Teagarden series and well as her Harper Connelly books.
International Guest of Honor Interview: Lindsey Davis interviewed by Robert Barnard. I’d read a few of the Falco books and wanted to listen to the author talk about her characters and the Roman Empire. The interview was another where the time just flew. We learned how Davis got into writing, why Rome, how Falco came to be, and about her life and background. I expected Lindsey Davis to be well informed and charming but I didn’t expect the wit and humor — obviously I just don’t pay attention.
After the reception, Lucy Zahrey, The Poison Lady, gave a talk on poison plants. Focusing on how readily available poisons are in our gardens, our neighbor’s gardens, health food stores, and other places not usually associated with poison, she told us about symptoms, strategies, availability, and novel possibilities for writers who have characters who wish to poison their enemies. Plants discussed included castor beans, yew, monkshood, poppies, oleander, and others. She warns that people should never confuse natural and organic with safe, since most poisons are both, and definitely not safe. Recommended as a good resource for writers was 
Next was a Toastmaster Event. Dan Stashower and Parnell Hall discussed Malice Domestic’s past and present and some of the highlights of past conventions including several incidents with handcuffs (and missing keys), a Whimsy Award that was a large stuffed groundhog in a lace dress, and other misadventures or hilarious mishaps. The laughter and gaiety made for a entertaining hour.
I always loved Simon and Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence. It’s melancholy and matches the mood of a rainy day or one of those days when it rains even when the sun shines and the sky is clear blue. But I got to thinking about silence today and the song popped into my head. I love the 
Have you ever noticed that flat surfaces attract clutter. I believe that if you have a house that has only a coffee table and one chair, and no one ever visits and no one lives there, that within a month the coffee table will be piled high with clutter — usually paper based clutter. Really, it happens to every flat surface in the world. I bet if you traveled to the center of the salt flats you’d find a huge pile of paper based clutter or tumble weeds (wood pulp or paper based in a squinted viewpoint). All flat surfaces attract clutter the minute you turn your back.