Wednesday, October 24, 2007

chest pains and heartache

Mini (and not-so mini) financial panic attacks.

Dinner out
great food
$60 for our share
plus a commitment of $33 for Cub Scout popcorn
that was hawked on their son’s behalf
dinner out
was it really worth it.

And their Christmas wish lists continue to grow.
$320 - Legos already requested … and counting!
$280 - basic Xbox gaming system plus $85 Guitar Hero II "game"
$82 - soft contact lenses
$$$ - parents’ trip to France

"How about we plan another fun-filled vacation down to Oak Island, N.C. …"
A brief and agonizing conversation with close family friends.
Four families. Two houses. One week. Playing at the beach with your best friends.
Not quite so priceless.
Roughly $1800-$2400 for the rental (split with another family); $300-$500 in groceries; $150 in gas to get there and back; innumerable small expenses that inevitably occur
OR
Mucho dinero for the much-anticipated trip to France with husband.
Brutal, brutal call.

And the envelope please …
$32,698
That’s what it costs to have an emergency appendectomy
when your insurance denies you coverage.
(but don’t you fret, dear readers, Pos was on the case …
that poor unwilling-to-be-identified-on-the-telephone insurance minion really got an earful!)
Let’s just hope his stern words translate into a final claim adjustment.

All of this
in less than a week’s time
and I’ve been good
and stayed away from Starbucks.

Let’s just hope I don’t develop an ulcer
and need hospitalization.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
$$$wishes: to not be so damned middle class.
$$$sins: luckily, none to report. I’m too anxious to spend any money.
$$$goals: regardless of these "attacks", I need to express gratitude.

7 comments:

Posol'stvo the Medved said...

Hmmm. Az a profeshunal terapisht, I am pr-r-r-reschcribink several rounds of shticker schock therapy... Ja?

molly gras said...

but doctor ...

won't that hurt?

Jeni said...

Boy, if I had insurance and then a claim against it for an emergency appendectomy that was denied payment, I would give more than shticker schock therapy to someone! But remember too -there really is no health care emergency in this country is there? yeah, right! On second though, send the bill to DUBYA since he thinks all is right and he is in his little piece of heaven.

Dave said...

Not a PA lawyer, and I don't specialize in health insurance law; but, I was in insurance before becoming a lawyer. If you guys have any questions, feel free.

Posol'stvo the Medved said...

Dave -- Thanks for the offer. It'll be okay. The hospital hasn't gotten payment from the insurance company cause they're slow paying. And dragging their feet hoping that I have some other coverage that'll pick up some of the bill.

It does make your eyes widen quite a bit when you see a bill for that much money though.

A few years ago, when administering my mother's estate, she didn't have health insurance and was hospitalized for a few months at the end there. So I have seen bills for a few hundred thousand before that I had no idea who was going to pay or how.

Thank goodness you can't inherit debt...

molly gras said...

Jeni and Dave -

I'm so very lucky to have you both as my blogging buddies.

It's such a thrill to receive comments from you guys.

Thank you :)

Dave said...

While checking in to see if there's a new post, and seeing that it wasn't meant to be today, my eyes strayed to the URL as IE7 accessed you. I'm a Mega Millions wannabee. So far though, it has turned out to cost me $104 a year more in state taxes (two drawings a week), minus two or three dollars back a year, yeah, I'm that bad at my quick pick prowess.