A couple of observations . . .

Red-headed Woodpecker

We’ve had medical insurance problems since the Connecticut Teacher’s Retirement Board changed to Anthem on July 1st. They seem to have corrected themselves as we haven’t received any extra doctors’ bills in a while! But now the dental insurance is cause for concern - well, not exactly Cigna rather the dental office we usually go to has changed hands since our young dentist died a few months ago after returning from his daughter’s destination wedding in Cancun. So . . . P&D’s Pop and I went for our routine cleanings with the new dentist and his technician in Zachary, LA; we were told that we both needed crowns. The visit cost us $125 ( cleanings, extra fluoride and deductibles etc.) I knew that Dr. Mackey in Groton, CT had one more crown to complete for me but we moved to Louisiana before she could finish our plan of action. The same held for P&D’s Pop. We were given estimates for what it would cost us out of our own pockets - I’ll round up to $1000 for each of us! We both declined to set appointments other than for our routine cleanings and said we’d get back to them.

I called Cigna and spoke with a woman who went through our estimates; she said that if we had the work done at the dentist’s home office in Denham Springs we would only have to pay $500 each because they are in network while the Zachary office is out of network! We had not realized that the new dentist came from our home town! I called the Zachary Office and they changed our routine checkups to Denham Springs and we made appointments for yesterday morning to speak with Dr. Mindy Moore about the crowns. Well the new paperwork for the crown at this office said we would have to pay $800 each. So I explained to Dr. Moore's technician that the lady at Cigna said it should only be $500 each. Back to the drawing board she went and returned with her corrected figures - yuppers, $500 each. This is crazy! We can’t trust the dentist’s office to calculate things properly? I guess I’ll have to question every medical office we go to from now on and ask for itemized bills and call the insurances myself to make sure we are not being charged improperly. I find this outrageous. No explanation was given except that if we had paid the $800 then they would have sent us a check for the over payment! I am flabbergasted.

Okay - rant done for today!

Changed my mind. And another thing, neither Dr. Moore nor her assistant, Trish, ever used right or left when they gave me any directions as they worked on my tooth. The Dentist said, 'Turn toward Trish.' or 'Turn toward me.' Now I know I'm quibbling here but Ms Trish explained this to me as she did the preparations for the tooth repair. What was funny was that she was telling me how they would be giving me directions such as, 'Turn toward me, but I'll be on the other side of you then and Dr. Mindy will be on this side.' (which was the right side for the Dentist and the left side for the technician.) Are we really so dumb now that we don't know right from left? Holy smokes!  What a disgrace.

Okay - I guess that's it.

Quote:  Every one desires to live long, but no one would be old.   ____Swift

Eureka . . .

We found the wayward right hearing aid! At P&D’s Pop’s suggestion I slowly shook out everything we brought with us for our sojourn in Natchez and there with the laundry, on top of my walk-on-the-room-415-floor-socks was the hearing aid. Wow! It must have fallen on top of them when I moved the book. I’m still crying copious tears because although they are insured I’ve been so angry at myself for loosing it I’m almost in shock that it showed up. P&D’s Pop figured it would. He really ransacked the hotel room looking for it and was positive it was in the suitcase. Thank goodness he was right - AGAIN! I called the hotel and called off their search too! Life is just fine once again!

Heartbroken . . .

We  had the best time yesterday meeting our Big Kiddo and his wife at Lake Cocodrie for a fantastic boat ride and fishing spree in their new catfish boat. The weather was perfect and P&D’s Pop caught a nice sized catfish before we docked the boat. We ate some fresh shrimp and gumbo; also tested out the brisket and barbecued chicken from the cookoff at the campground. We stayed at a great hotel in Natchez overlooking the Mississippi River Bridge and went out to dinner at the Magnolia Bluffs Casino where we were to watch the best show on Earth - Sunset on the Mississippi. After we said out good nights we got a good night’s sleep before all hell and stupidity broke out before 7am this morning

I had placed my hearing aids on top of my book on a little table in our room. I picked up the book to pack it and the hearing aids fell off. As crazy as this is I immediately picked up the left hearing aid and put it on; we never found the right hearing aid. P&D’s Pop and I looked everywhere and moved every piece of furniture at least three times and we never found the hearing aid. We went through the trash, the suitcase, the medecine bag, the clothes I was wearing, the bedding. Nothing! Absolutely nothing turned up except a pen that was under a bed. I spoke with the gentleman at the desk and asked him to notify the ladies who clean the rooms to be on the lookout for my right hearing aid but I don’t see how they can find it if we couldn’t find it after thoroughly looking everywhere possible. The only plausible reason for the disappearance is P&D’s Pop’s - the hearing aid must have gotten caught in my clothes and when I used the bathroom it fell into the commode! Man, I hate to agree with that assessment but it certainly seems to be gone, never to return. So when we get home I have to get out the paperwork and see if I have some sort of insurance coverage for a lost hearing aid. Incredible! In retrospect I should always put the hearing aids in the box I have to protect them when I have to take them off for any reason. Yes, heart broken to tears.