You know what really grinds my gears...

MR25
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby MR25 » Thu Nov 14, 2019 5:55 pm

No I sent that after I got back late because of the aforementioned dumb NTP66

Dickie Dunn
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby Dickie Dunn » Thu Nov 14, 2019 6:21 pm

5 iron? MR25 is Elin Nordegren confirmed.

RonnieFranchise
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby RonnieFranchise » Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:59 pm

If you are a cold call marketer spoofing caller ID with a phone number that looks like it is coming from Headquarters, there is a zero percent chance of me staying on the line talking to you.

Whether you get an earful or just a hang up depends on my mood.

Yeah, I get it, if your real number in Dry Hump, Kansas comes up I'm not picking up the phone. It's a real dilemma.

robbiestoupe
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby robbiestoupe » Wed Nov 20, 2019 10:22 am

Maybe we need a healthcare thread but since there isn't one, here we go:

It's the time of year we sign up for next year's health benefits through work. We're offered an FSA account with max contribution $2,750. The health plan we are offered gives very minimal details, as I'm sure most people experience at other places of employment.

We are due to have a baby at the end of January and will deliver at The Midwife Center if all goes well. They gave us their costing schedule with codes and everything for insurance. So I should be able to find out how much I'll be charged based on some contractual discounted rate between insurance and TMC. From there, I can figure out how much to put into my FSA.

After 30 minutes on the phone with insurance this morning, they said they couldn't tell me what that rate will be until the charges are actually applied.

Healthcare in the US is so f'ed. What is this, a 3 star Michelin restaurant? You know they do this on purpose because a) you need healthcare and b) you can't argue what you don't know.

On top of that, FSA money is use it or lose it. How in the sam hell am I going to know how much I'll spend on healthcare next year? Even when I know what procedure (birth) and what the charges are, I still don't know.

NTP66
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby NTP66 » Wed Nov 20, 2019 10:40 am

Source of the post On top of that, FSA money is use it or lose it. How in the sam hell am I going to know how much I'll spend on healthcare next year? Even when I know what procedure (birth) and what the charges are, I still don't know.
This drives me insane, as the same rules apply to dependent care FSAs. You're absolutely right about the rest. They can provide you some sort of estimate, but are choosing not to do so.

MrKennethTKangaroo
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby MrKennethTKangaroo » Wed Nov 20, 2019 10:41 am

FSAs are a bunch of malarkey

shoeshine boy
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby shoeshine boy » Wed Nov 20, 2019 10:53 am

FSAs are a bunch of malarkey
troof. I did an FSA the last 2 years and I won't be doing one next year. I got annoyed that every. single. time. I used my swipe card I would get requests from the company administering the program to submit proof that it was actually a medical expense.
WTF DO YOU THINK I'M PAYING FOR AT EMORY PHYSICAL THERAPY THAT ISN'T A HEALTH EXPENSE?????

faftorial
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby faftorial » Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:10 am

FSAs are a bunch of malarkey
troof. I did an FSA the last 2 years and I won't be doing one next year. I got annoyed that every. single. time. I used my swipe card I would get requests from the company administering the program to submit proof that it was actually a medical expense.
WTF DO YOU THINK I'M PAYING FOR AT EMORY PHYSICAL THERAPY THAT ISN'T A HEALTH EXPENSE?????
I think the company administering the plan gets to keep the excess at the end of the year which gives them a good reason to make getting that money back difficult.

robbiestoupe
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby robbiestoupe » Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:57 am

FSAs are a bunch of malarkey
troof. I did an FSA the last 2 years and I won't be doing one next year. I got annoyed that every. single. time. I used my swipe card I would get requests from the company administering the program to submit proof that it was actually a medical expense.
WTF DO YOU THINK I'M PAYING FOR AT EMORY PHYSICAL THERAPY THAT ISN'T A HEALTH EXPENSE?????
I think the company administering the plan gets to keep the excess at the end of the year which gives them a good reason to make getting that money back difficult.
bingo

They love to market FSAs and how wonderful they are. No they aren't. I still put in $2k because I know I'll use it, but in years where there are no procedures planned, no FSA for me.

Dependent care FSAs I always buy the max. Before this year, we sent 2 kids to daycare for 2 days a week. DFSA didn't even cover half those expenses. With how many families with dual income and kids in daycare full time, the max amount is a complete joke.

NTP66
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby NTP66 » Wed Nov 20, 2019 12:55 pm

I'm grateful that I no longer require the max for my D-FSA account.

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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby Sam's Drunk Dog » Wed Nov 20, 2019 1:43 pm

Check to see if you can get an HSA account instead. They usually offer them with a high deductible account. You don't lose the amount you contribute to a HSA. Whatever you don't spend carries over to the next year.

NTP66
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby NTP66 » Wed Nov 20, 2019 1:45 pm

And you can use your HSA as a retirement vehicle.

RonnieFranchise
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby RonnieFranchise » Wed Nov 20, 2019 7:58 pm

Mrs. Franchise had an oddball health issue this year that she visited several major providers for.

Places like AGH and Cleveland Clinic have nice little portals where they store all your charges and the providers are transparent to you- ie the Doctor, the Anesthetist, the hospital charges, the pharmacy all go into one portal and you can view all your charges at once.

Heritage Valley, which owns the Medical Center in Beaver, does no such thing. They mail you separate paper bills for EVERYTHING and you have a different account number for your PCP, the Urgent Care, the lab, and each of the above listed entities. If you have something like she had, it can become unwieldy.

So, I have managed to keep up with things but got a notice in the mail that once was being sent to collections. OK, maybe I missed one but no, this one was paid online on 10/25, almost a month ago. Called them with the date, confirmation, etc. They told me that sometimes it takes up to a month for HSA payments to clear. I can't imagine that's true. Why should it be any different than any other credit card payment? It's never been a problem before, including probably dozens of payments to Heritage Valley over the years.

So ultimately the person in the billing department told me well, it hasn't been sent to collections yet, if they call just give them the payment info. HELLO I DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH A FREAKING COLLECTIONS AGENCY BECAUSE OF YOUR HORRIBLE BILLING PRACTICES.


Freaking backwards local hospital

shafnutz05
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby shafnutz05 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 6:57 am

Do they charge you a convenience fee for paying by credit card vs. mailing a check too? Good lord.

NTP66
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby NTP66 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 7:01 am

Source of the post Do they charge you a convenience fee for paying by credit card vs. mailing a check too? Good lord.
One of our favorite Italian restaurants in the area just started charging a 3% fee when paying with a credit card, which they didn't tell us until the check came. We love the food there, so it won't stop me from returning, but it's the only restaurant that I know of that does this. And it's not a cheap restaurant. Our bill has never been under $90 there for three people.

shafnutz05
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby shafnutz05 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 7:11 am

Source of the post Do they charge you a convenience fee for paying by credit card vs. mailing a check too? Good lord.
One of our favorite Italian restaurants in the area just started charging a 3% fee when paying with a credit card, which they didn't tell us until the check came. We love the food there, so it won't stop me from returning, but it's the only restaurant that I know of that does this. And it's not a cheap restaurant. Our bill has never been under $90 there for three people.
I don't have an issue necessarily with places like small gas stations or takeout places requiring a minimum charge. But for a relatively pricey restaurant? Come on.

robbiestoupe
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby robbiestoupe » Thu Nov 21, 2019 7:41 am

Check to see if you can get an HSA account instead. They usually offer them with a high deductible account. You don't lose the amount you contribute to a HSA. Whatever you don't spend carries over to the next year.
Not worth it IMO. I'd pay much less in premiums but when the bills came, I'd be well in the red.

HSA's only seem to make sense if you don't foresee anything other than a few trips to the doctor during the year.

MR25
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby MR25 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:05 am

It's not that **** hard to not block an intersection if traffic is backed up. Don't **** look at me like an idiot when you block the only lane I have.

NTP66
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby NTP66 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:18 am

It's not that **** hard to not block an intersection if traffic is backed up. Don't **** look at me like an idiot when you block the only lane I have.
This happens from time to time on my way home from the train. There's an intersection that gets backed up because of the train crossing, and people will routinely wait until the light turns yellow to pull into the intersection, causing them to block all cross traffic as the light turns red because they don't want to sit through another light.

DigitalGypsy66
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:46 am

My employer didn't have HSA until a few years ago, so we've used my wife's HSA for years. I catch hell for using incorrectly all the time. Like paying co-pays, for instance, are problematic if there are additional charges. She has to reconcile it with the company for additional payouts to the same invoice or bill number. It used to be awful having to upload every EOB and receipt, but this newer processor automatically processes hospital or drugstore purchases (most of the time).

But I'm wondering if it's really worth all the hassle. We do spend all of it (my wife is really good at spending right down to the penny), so that's not an issue. It's the hoops jumping and restrictions that drive us (mostly her) crazy.

NTP66
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby NTP66 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:47 am

I can't speak to the hassle with claims, but if you have access to an HSA, I'd still use it as a retirement vehicle. It's a great dual-purpose solution.

robbiestoupe
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby robbiestoupe » Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:31 am

I can't speak to the hassle with claims, but if you have access to an HSA, I'd still use it as a retirement vehicle. It's a great dual-purpose solution.
Seems fine when you say it that way, but in the end it still may cost you more money in medical bills. Would only make sense if a) you know your medical bills won't be high (risky bc you never know) and b) you've maxed out 401k and other retirement options.

Either way, all this voodoo math is part of why our healthcare system in the US totally blows. I'm good with numbers, and maybe if I tried really hard I could figure this out. But most people aren't good with numbers, so what are they supposed to do?

Ad@m
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby Ad@m » Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:52 am

When I refresh the active topics page (a Penguins Message Board) on a daily basis and the first thing I see is that **** Political Thread. 🤬

NTP66
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby NTP66 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:56 am

What, you don't go to Pens forums to talk about a bunch of dadholes?

DigitalGypsy66
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You know what really grinds my gears...

Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:58 am

When I refresh the active topics page (a Penguins Message Board) on a daily basis and the first thing I see is that **** Political Thread. 🤬
Yeah, it's been that way for years, unfortunately. Back to when we were all on LGP as well. I guess Politics are more engaging than what the Penguins are doing?

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