Daily Thoughts

[AmberCutie]

While on the subject of healthcare... I am pissed the fuck off at this "go to physical therapy BEFORE we authorize you to get imaging to see what's even wrong with it."

I'm on week 4 of PT for shoulder pain, which could actually be torn and doing the movements I have been are preventing healing/making it worse, but insurance won't cover an MRI until 6 PT sessions... it's ass backwards!! PT should be AFTER imaging to find out what's wrong!

 

[Marceline]

Agreed 100%. The way the providers and insurance companies conspire to keep costs high for patients and low for themselves ought to be criminal.

I recently got some routine blood work. It’s fully covered by my insurance, but the provider made a clerical error and didn’t enter my insurance info. As a result, I got a bill in the mail for the full price of the bloodwork. Around $900.

I called them and they fixed the error, billing my insurance instead. Just to make sure it went through, I checked my claims on the insurer’s website. Due to a “plan discount,” they only billed the insurance company about $100.

Now, I was able to keep track of all this and avoid paying that massive bill. But think about the people who aren’t in a position to find these errors or get them corrected. The very ill, the elderly, those who don’t have caregivers or family looking out for them. How many of those people simply go broke or bankrupt because of these up charges and errors that go unchecked? Disgusting.

It really is disgusting. And the fact that agents will sometimes straight up lie to you or tell half truths or leave out important details about your coverage simply to get you to sign up through them so they can make their commission. It happened to me, I was paying for what I thought was pretty comprehensive coverage, and I ended up needing some pretty expensive medical tests done. Turns out, even after I met my deductible I still wouldn’t be fully covered. So it’s like, I have to pay hundreds every month for insurance, pay at least thousands out of pocket for medical expenses on top of my insurance and then not even be fully covered?

It’s also sad how there’s people who end up getting cancer or some other really serious illness and their insurance won’t cover the cost of treatment and so basically they have to either sell all their assets they worked their entire life for or transfer the titles for their house and car over to family members so they can file bankruptcy for the government to finally step in and help out.

I believe affordable healthcare is a basic human right, and it’s sick how financially driven the healthcare system in America is. To the point where it’s now becoming more common for people to just travel out of the country to get medical services, because it’s way cheaper than getting tests, surgeries and/or treatments in America.

And, looking at your bill after receiving whatever kind of medical services is a must, because they will try screwing you over however they can. Also, when I was getting TMS treatments, the technician who did the treatments was also a nurse at a nearby hospital and we got kind of close since I was in there every day of the week for a couple weeks. She was telling me how when the cost of epipens went through the roof, the hospital was putting those costs on literally everyone who came through the hospital. From how she explained it, every floor/wing needs a certain amount of crash carts, which includes epipens, if they aren’t used within a certain amount of time they have to just get new ones and so even if you didn’t have an epipen used on you, you were still paying for it.

Speaking of the TMS and insurance stuff, it’s ridiculous how insurance is with approving it. TMS is a non-invasive procedure with almost no side effects that’s been proven to be extremely effective for treatment resistant depression/anxiety. But, the machine used is supposedly very expensive to run (the coils in it apparently break down very fast and need to be replaced often), so without insurance you’re looking at roughly $10k for a full course of treatments. Insurance will only cover it after you’ve taken at least two different antidepressants with no success and done at least a year of talk therapy. Which to me is just crazy that you need to jump through hoops and take potentially dangerous medications to get insurance to approve an effective, safe treatment.

 

[MarieElise]

I agree with everything everyone has said here. I used to work in healthcare, and as I got further into understanding how billing was done, insurance companies etc I realized what a farce, even non-profits are. Everyone's ripping everyone off everywhere. Working as a cam model feels 100% more honest, especially with how direct and blunt I am with people. There's A LITERAL TON of deception and trickery going on in this world, in places that you just wouldn't think. It's fucking pathetic, it really is. People everywhere are milking things, especially off the vulnerable and worst off, and it's just lazy and gross imo.

Anyways, sudden subject change, but I just saw a headline on my youtube feed that has me what the fucking, and wanted to share.
"He disappeared after using homemade time machine".

(it's not satire, it's an actual crime documentary!) WTfuckingF?!!! I know what I'm watching later!!

 

[Brit]

While on the subject of healthcare... I am pissed the fuck off at this "go to physical therapy BEFORE we authorize you to get imaging to see what's even wrong with it."

I'm on week 4 of PT for shoulder pain, which could actually be torn and doing the movements I have been are preventing healing/making it worse, but insurance won't cover an MRI until 6 PT sessions... it's ass backwards!! PT should be AFTER imaging to find out what's wrong!

I'm so sorry you're going through this! My mom has been going through the exact same situation, but for her back. She just completed the PT sessions and it was brutal on her. She thought she was getting her MRI, had it scheduled and everything, but then the insurance company said "nope, you need to see a specialist first." Ugh, I have felt so bad for her. I hope you're able to get your MRI quickly and easily with no more hoops to jump through.

I agree with everything everyone has said here. I used to work in healthcare, and as I got further into understanding how billing was done, insurance companies etc I realized what a farce, even non-profits are. Everyone's ripping everyone off everywhere. Working as a cam model feels 100% more honest, especially with how direct and blunt I am with people. There's A LITERAL TON of deception and trickery going on in this world, in places that you just wouldn't think. It's fucking pathetic, it really is. People everywhere are milking things, especially off the vulnerable and worst off, and it's just lazy and gross imo.

I also worked in healthcare for a bit. Trying to get insurance to cover things by using the correct ICD-9 and then ICD-10 coding was such a hassle. But you had to make sure you used the best code to lower the cost for the patient which sometimes meant going through so. many. damn. codes. My eyes often burned at the end of the day. Insurance companies need to just fucking cover shit that they are meant to cover. Health insurance = coverage for one's health. Shouldn't need to jump through all the hoops and codes just to get coverage. It's disgusting.

 

[Smoothie]

While on the subject of healthcare... I am pissed the fuck off at this "go to physical therapy BEFORE we authorize you to get imaging to see what's even wrong with it."

I'm on week 4 of PT for shoulder pain, which could actually be torn and doing the movements I have been are preventing healing/making it worse, but insurance won't cover an MRI until 6 PT sessions... it's ass backwards!! PT should be AFTER imaging to find out what's wrong!

I had the exact same thing happen to me this summer. Insurance denied two requests from a specialist to get me an MRI for an injury to my back/neck. They said I had to complete a schedule of physical therapy first.

I truly didn’t understand the logic. First - the specialist was trying to rule out some fairly serious shit by ordering the MRI (broken or fractured vertebrae, or even cancer). Neither of those things is solvable by PT. They can actually make it worse. If not directly, then certainly by prolonging the process of getting a proper diagnosis.

Secondly - the insurance company doesn’t even save money in that scenario! Five weeks of PT on my insurance would have cost me like $400 out of pocket, but it would have cost my insurance more than that. And then I’d probably still need the MRI afterward. The MRI is faster, cheaper, and more logical as a path forward to wellness than the PT, in my case. Absolute lunacy.

 

[AmberCutie]

I had the exact same thing happen to me this summer. Insurance denied two requests from a specialist to get me an MRI for an injury to my back/neck. They said I had to complete a schedule of physical therapy first.

I truly didn’t understand the logic. First - the specialist was trying to rule out some fairly serious shit by ordering the MRI (broken or fractured vertebrae, or even cancer). Neither of those things is solvable by PT. They can actually make it worse. If not directly, then certainly by prolonging the process of getting a proper diagnosis.

Secondly - the insurance company doesn’t even save money in that scenario! Five weeks of PT on my insurance would have cost me like $400 out of pocket, but it would have cost my insurance more than that. And then I’d probably still need the MRI afterward. The MRI is faster, cheaper, and more logical as a path forward to wellness than the PT, in my case. Absolute lunacy.

I'm so sorry you're going through this! My mom has been going through the exact same situation, but for her back. She just completed the PT sessions and it was brutal on her. She thought she was getting her MRI, had it scheduled and everything, but then the insurance company said "nope, you need to see a specialist first." Ugh, I have felt so bad for her. I hope you're able to get your MRI quickly and easily with no more hoops to jump through.

I also have a bit of ptsd from my hip injury back in 2015 - same thing I had to go to PT first, but the PT actually further injured my labral tear...

My hip surgeon/specialist said he wishes he could have seen me first never would have put me through that. So now I worry the same is going on in my shoulder.

 

[yummybrownfox]

I had the same thought, it's in like a thousand movies.

And I just heard the song again earlier this afternoon while dining in at my favorite crab spot. Lol. Definitely not just a fad imo. It’s not even my favorite song of Earth, Wind, & Fire’s, but it’s definitely the one I hear getting the most play. A friend of mine would sing it often at karaoke night, and everyone would go nuts.

 

[Vixxen81]

And I just heard the song again earlier this afternoon while dining in at my favorite crab spot. Lol. Definitely not just a fad imo. It’s not even my favorite song of Earth, Wind, & Fire’s, but it’s definitely the one I hear getting the most play. A friend of mine would sing it often at karaoke night, and everyone would go nuts.

Like 99% of their catalog is amazeballs. I'm sure there's some "reaction" video of an 18-year-old hearing it for the first time and going "that slaps."

Fuck, I'm old.

 

[yummybrownfox]

I 100% believe that most commission based sales jobs are way more unethical than camming or content creation. There’s no changing my mind on this.

Yes, 100%!

A few years ago I made the mistake of showing my BGE bill to one of those guys who makes money convincing people to switch over from BGE to such and such company. I wasn’t interested in switching anything and definitely did not sign anything. I was just being nice and letting the guy talk. Next thing I know, he snapped a picture of my bill. And he used that information to fraudulently sign me up for that shit…AND he listed himself as David _____ (insert my last name here), saying that he’s my spouse. Then I got a letter in the mail saying that I had been switched over. I had to jump through all these hoops to explain that I did not sign up for that shit, and to get switched back.

Between that and this recent “Comcast Xfinity cybersecurity” scam I felt victim to in August (which I lost thousands of dollars to), I know better now, and will not even be giving these people a chance to talk. It will “No, thanks. Have a good day!” And there’s been a NO SOLICITING sign on my door anyway, so really, people shouldn’t be bothering me anyway.

 

[KingMarti]

Yes, 100%!

A few years ago I made the mistake of showing my BGE bill to one of those guys who makes money convincing people to switch over from BGE to such and such company. I wasn’t interested in switching anything and definitely did not sign anything. I was just being nice and letting the guy talk. Next thing I know, he snapped a picture of my bill. And he used that information to fraudulently sign me up for that shit…AND he listed himself as David _____ (insert my last name here), saying that he’s my spouse. Then I got a letter in the mail saying that I had been switched over. I had to jump through all these hoops to explain that I did not sign up for that shit, and to get switched back.

Between that and this recent “Comcast Xfinity cybersecurity” scam I felt victim to in August (which I lost thousands of dollars to), I know better now, and will not even be giving these people a chance to talk. It will “No, thanks. Have a good day!” And there’s been a NO SOLICITING sign on my door anyway, so really, people shouldn’t be bothering me anyway.

Scams are everywhere in sales. Used to work with a guy that world call his numbers on a monday (selling cell phone insurance) get the peoples names and other details but not try and sell them, spent the next 3 days just talking to his gf, then call the list back using the information that they gave him on the monday to convince them he was the manager at the store they bought the phone from and they had sold them the wrong insurance plan so need to cancel that one and re set it up on the correct policy so their new phone is covered, they wouldnt even question it when after taking the payment he disclosed the companies name because by that point they arnt listening anymore.

 

[Maxi]

As a Brit, it’s so crazy to me that an insurance company can make a healthcare decision for a patient.

 

[MarieElise]

As a Brit, it’s so crazy to me that an insurance company can make a healthcare decision for a patient.

They dictate everything here when it comes to healthcare. I'm on medication for ADHD, which is life-altering helpful. However, because it's more expensive than Adderall or Ritalin, they won't cover it for people unless they've already tried everything else and had bad side effects and problems first. That takes years to document and do, and a lot of suffering. But, honestly, compared to the other things they do, that's just a minor example of the control they exert over the healthcare treatment we get (and do not get). Getting this medication years ago would have saved me so much suffering, and even some loss of relationships, as well as helped me to function so much better in day-to-day life...

Same with iron transfusions for bad anemia. I had to go through hell for years, to qualify for getting those covered. It's a 30-45 minute IV, but for some reason they bill 1000s for it. You have to have anemia so bad that it's severely impacting your life, and also have tried supplements and diet changes for months. All while running your iron stores down further, and getting very sick and non-functional, before they'll cover it. Although when they do, it works so quickly and is so amazing. Those are just 2 relatively minor examples. Makes me sick - literally.

I could ramble on for hours on this topic, giving examples I saw in my past profession. But I won't.
I hope the 1 percent are fucking comfy, that's all I have to say...

 

[Maxi]

That sounds like Hell, and I’m so sorry you had to through it wow

The NHS is decent but the waiting times once you’ve been triaged aren’t… great. Lots of appointments cancelled and rearranged. They’re at capacity and them some.

I just know, if I broke my leg, it’ll be fixed for free by calling 999. Probably 24 hours later…

 

[MarieElise]

Another sudden Eli direction change lol ... Can't help it. Anyways....

Can true passion exist sans emotion? What do you guys think? I would love to hear any and all real thoughts on this topic. I feel it will be educational and interesting.

Can passion truly exist, without emotion?

(I don't just mean physical passion, I mean in general. But physical passion too.)

 

[Smoothie]

Another sudden Eli direction change lol ... Can't help it. Anyways....

Can true passion exist sans emotion? What do you guys think? I would love to hear any and all real thoughts on this topic. I feel it will be educational and interesting.

Can passion truly exist, without emotion?

(I don't just mean physical passion, I mean in general. But physical passion too.)

So do you also mean passion for things like a favorite hobby, or a line of work someone feels strongly about?

I don’t know the science behind it, so I may be wrong, but I feel like anything that brings out a passionate response is linked to some kind of emotion.

 

[MarieElise]

So do you also mean passion for things like a favorite hobby, or a line of work someone feels strongly about?

I don’t know the science behind it, so I may be wrong, but I feel like anything that brings out a passionate response is linked to some kind of emotion.

Yes or a topic or belief or painting or something.

 

[Maxi]

Can passion truly exist without emotion?

What is passion without emotion?

Tell me a passion you’re not emotionally involved with…

 

[Vixxen81]

Being passionate does not mean someone is emotionally intelligent.

 

[Maxi]

Being passionate does not mean someone is emotionally intelligent.

Agreed.

 

[MarieElise]

Doesn't mean they aren't either. It means just that; passionate.

 

[Maxi]

This is really pertinent. I bought a load of artwork during lockdown that I’m now selling.

I’m passionate about the art but emotionally, I’m sad to see them go.

 

[Smoothie]

This is really pertinent. I bought a load of artwork during lockdown that I’m now selling.

I’m passionate about the art but emotionally, I’m sad to see them go.

On a similar note, people who tend to be packrats - meaning they have a hard time getting rid of belongings they don’t use or need anymore, like a less destructive form of hoarding - often seem emotionally attached to the items they’re passionate about, in some way.

I’ve always collected things as a hobby, but what I collect has changed a few times over the years. As a kid it was trading cards, as a teen it became music, as an adult it has been other various things.

I sometimes find it difficult to get rid of the items that no longer bring me joy, because I remember that they once did. That’s gotta be an emotional response, right?

 

[Maxi]

For me, their just in tubes. They’re just taking up space.

It was a fun hobby during lockdown but I’ll still miss them.

Some of my art I will never part with…

 

[rockin_rod]

Can passion truly exist, without emotion?

That's a really interesting question, that gave me pause for thought.
I think they're intertwined, and often confused, but still very separate.
For me, passion comes from within, and results in action (i.e. do the things that give you happiness), and emotion is often a response to that action, or some external factor.
Initial thought is that doing something you're passionate about will usually trigger some form of emotional response - not always positive - but may not *always* do so.
But I'm going to think about this some more.

 

[rockin_rod]

Clocks here went forward one hour at 02:00am to start daylight savings.
I really hate how DST messes with my everything.
Need more coffee...... ugh

 

[rockin_rod]

That's a really interesting question, that gave me pause for thought.
I think they're intertwined, and often confused, but still very separate.
For me, passion comes from within, and results in action (i.e. do the things that give you happiness), and emotion is often a response to that action, or some external factor.
Initial thought is that doing something you're passionate about will usually trigger some form of emotional response - not always positive - but may not *always* do so.
But I'm going to think about this some more.

Circling back to this.
I've settled on an opinion that I think it's impossible to be passionate about something, and not have emotions associated with that passion.

 

[MarieElise]

Circling back to this.
I've settled on an opinion that I think it's impossible to be passionate about something, and not have emotions associated with that passion.

Honestly, I believe the same.
Maybe the first time you do it, you don't have passion for it.
But as soon as you do it, you experience some kind of emotion, and that drives the passion going forward.
As far as I'm able to figure anyway. I think they are intertwined.

 

[AmberCutie]

Clocks here went forward one hour at 02:00am to start daylight savings.
I really hate how DST messes with my everything.
Need more coffee...... ugh

You made me just rush to google to make sure I wasn't forgetting our time change this weekend... whew! We have a month/ish left

 

[rockin_rod]

You made me just rush to google to make sure I wasn't forgetting our time change this weekend... whew! We have a month/ish left

Oh yeah - whether you're in favor of DST or not, you'd at least think it could be better coordinated across the globe so that all countries/areas that observe the changes would make them happen on the same date - at least within 24 hours all the changes would be done.
Where my Mom lives, the clocks there change a couple of weeks after ours do - and go back for winter, whereas ours go forward for summer. So in the space of a month, we vary from 8, 9, and then 10 hours difference.

 

[rockin_rod]

Honestly, I believe the same.
Maybe the first time you do it, you don't have passion for it.
But as soon as you do it, you experience some kind of emotion, and that drives the passion going forward.
As far as I'm able to figure anyway. I think they are intertwined.

Yep. Once of the points I wanted time to think about was how some people describe themselves as having altruistic interests. But even if such a thing truly exists, doing something selflessly doesn't mean that you don't get an emotional response from either doing it, or from the outcome of doing it.