khatru | Entries tagged with insurance

I've been doing a lot of stuff that doesn't look like much.

Conversed with R about $THINGS. The primary thing coming from that is that we're moving up the timeline on househunting. Since I want to have overlap between getting a new house and selling this one so that I'm not frantically trying to pack, and the main reason I was setting it off 1-2 years was so that C would have a geopolitically appropriate address for his school, we can disconnect looking/moving and C's address need, and just leave him in the house on his own for a bit. So now I'm actually looking at the not-quite-spam mail that I'm getting from the three websites, and have brought R in to the ONE that lets you connect someone in (WHY IS THIS NOT A GENERAL THING???) and we're leaving comments for each other on houses.
Three of us went to a set of 3 open houses this past Sunday. First one was a house I wouldn't offer on, because it doesn't have the minimum accessibility I would need, but it was very local and a good learning experience. I also proceeded to inform the people manning the open house exactly why I wouldn't offer for it (there was much more than just the lack of accessibility, such as the complete lack of insulation in the attic, with sunlight visible in multiple places under the eaves). Second one, the people who were opening the house failed to show, it being after 2pm on a 1-4pm open house. We left. Third house was up in Bloomfield, move in ready, with some oddments that all older houses have (like, why was there a deadbolt on the door between the kitchen and the basement?) and all the accessibility I'd need. However, parking is minimal, and there are things (like one of the sets of steps from the house to the back yard is in the way of getting anything large *to* the hatch to the basement) that means that it's probably not actually the right house for us.
I had a week+ of doctor visits, that ended up with a small twinge in my back that I've had since about 2 weeks after Otter died flaring wildly. Paindoc thinks I might have gotten another compressed nerve, wants to MRI, and agreed to wait till I got insurance. That pain hasn't quite settled down, and is affecting my ability to do much. I've also felt lower energy since Sunday and the three open houses where I was walking around on uneven ground (looking around the houses) and doing stairs.
I came downstairs this past Monday to do bills and stuff, and was so out of it that I didn't even realize it was after 7 before I actually got moving on paper/mail intake until I was suddenly handed dinner. I meant to come down yesterday, and failed, ending up taking migraine meds, and extra pain meds. Today I woke up at midnight (top fo the day) and fell asleep again at 7, barely managing to eat food and take morning pills; ended up taking an extra pain med some time later; woke up just before 4pm pills, and dragged myself down here to at least do bills if not the phone calls, only to find that the fucking ATT bill is not here yet. *sigh*
Exiting Housemate has slowed down her exiting, due to her own health issues. Completely reasonable, but I'm getting antsy to have stuff gone. It's at the point where it's mostly just stuff to be put in trash and recycling, and I'm beating my head against C to do that, because R is doing EVERYTHING ELSE and we're really done.
To the point where R caught a cold (or something, it apparently came on faster than usual) and was sleeping a *lot*. A bunch of takeout later, a bunch of barely-touch-into-the-oven later, a few Inform-C-he-was-cooking-and-could-just-be-pissy-if-he-wanted-but-that's-it meals, and R took some money and slept in a nearby hotel for a few nights so that the allergen load would be less/different. Also, finally went to doc even tho temp never got over 101, and was given antibiotics anyway cause former smoker.
The kids, finally, after literally 2 weeks of nagging, moved the Forester out from underneath the dangling slate.
Finding a roofer to take on our roof has, again, been special, with 1 ghost on an estimate, 1 'you'll hear from us in a couple of days' that turned into two phone calls and a voice message later saying, "yeah, we do slate but not jobs that big" (WTF?), 1 semi-reasonable estimate, and 1 that said 'you need a whole new roof'. We have the lower estimate for the small roof that was damaged by the tree set to happen next week, and then we work from there, I guess.
May is the first month that I'm paying bills out of the account made with the life insurance money. Of course, the car insurance 6month is due this month, and the house insurance is due June 1, so there's going to be a huge dip to start with. Hopefully financial guy won't get nervous. :D
The car insurance customer service guy actually called late last week - later than he had said, but he *did* call back. Apparently C's good student discount is valid for, at least, this cycle of insurance payment. Yay! $2900 for 6 months is annoying as fuck.
I think that's all.

Contemplate agitating at ATT to change billing date.
Try to take Skitty to the vet for checkup when C is home.
Do more of the stuff that needs to be kept up with.
Find out when annual taxes are due
Arrange to actually get the roof fixed. IN PROCESS
call tax assessor office 9a-3p Barbara 9087692906 AFTER 12:30 WEDNESDAY as of 20180208
Decide day of month I need to pay bills. (2 days before end of month is not enough time)
Clear out envelope of Bills Since Death and sort into records, bills, whatever.
Figure out what to do about cpap machines (company emailed back, saying donate or whatever) (in process)

Talk to R about:

Container specifically for estate stuff. - Catbag?
Container for my paper notes on phone calls.
Container for medical records current year, bills and other
Container for keeping records, current year (currently back half of step sorter that R got from Staples, and repurposed wire mesh phone stand)
Container for medical records specifically for past years.
Containers for keeping records for past years, to hold paid bills and record keeping.
Container for tax info papers bundled by year for past years.
Container for my frustration and sanity. (Research ongoing. Last marble was found in dice bag, perhaps something similar?)

Crossposts: https://khatru.livejournal.com/28195.html

Called COBRA Management company, to get my account details since I had misplaced the piece of paper I had written them on. I was told that the only record of me in the system was as his dependent, that he is listed as 'terminated' and not 'deceased', and this is incorrect and must be dealt with. I took a case number, and left them to deal.
Emailed Otter's HR to tell them of this, and that something is very confused.
Was told by R what the details of the account were, and successfully got into the COBRA management company's benefits account to continue to elect COBRA for my health insurance. Only to find that, having listed Spouse&Child as needing insurance, I *must* include the Primary Plan Participant in the insurance, and that doing so has the wrong number of people being insured. Apparently because Otter is NOT listed as deceased, things are SERIOUSLY upgefukt.
Called COBRA management company again and confirmed that yes, this is the reason it is all upgefukt, and they need to talk to Otter's employer and get things straightened out, and that it will take 3-5 business days, as it always does. Oh, and that another company will be the COBRA management company on April 2nd. Yes, I know, I called them 2 days ago and they said to complete the coverage with you folks.
Screamed for about 2 minutes straight, and then took many deep breaths.
Spent time trying to figure out who has our tax info from the cryptic note left by Otter on his computer for me. Even accounting for his atrocious spelling, I can't find anyone with any name anything like the names he wrote down that has ever heard of him, or our 6+ years of unfiled taxes.
Spoke with R about the various research projects I'd given her: our food spending is consistent on a monthly basis so we can work on that number as our budget; the post card from our local mazda dealer talking about a recall doesn't have one that is dangerous that we seem to be affected by; the insurance company that was dealing with the tree that came down on our roof had gotten back to her about when the check was cashed, cleared, and other identifying information, and that information was not found in our records.
So I Called up his bank and asked if they could find that information for us, to confirm that it was cashed by him. They said yes, but we'd have to come in person to talk about it.
Went to Otter's bank (where I now have a couple of accounts) and talked to them, and yes, indeed, that check was deposited into his account. Yay. So much for that 2k.
Did some Ingressing while driving around.
Went to BJs with R, doing some price comparing and picking up some pens that I love that are really inconsistent as to where I can find them, and these were 10packs of the matching pen and pencils. In addition to the groceries.
Had pizza for my 4pm food next to Stop & Shop.
Sat in the car while R went into Stop & Shop, because she wasn't going to be long enough for me to get in any cruising for interesting things, and she doesn't like the scent of lilies.
Came home and Called the lawyer in Florida who's taking care of my father's sister's estate. Talked to a person this time!!! But not the lawyer. He's out. But now he's it!
pored over the TIAACREF pension beneficiary form, and grepped through papers failing to find the information for the new IRA for me.
Got called into the kitchen to help R butcher a chicken. (I'd given verbal directions before, but this was eyes on while she wielded the knife.)
Found another set of papers with the account number of the new IRA for me, and used that to fill out the TIAACREF paperwork.
Called TIAACREF help line to figure out some confusing back-and-forthing in the form to fill out. (Mostly my confusion, less their writing, and making sure I understood that really, I didn't have to write anything on 4 pages of this.) (I wrote "DO NOT NEED" on them just to be clear.)
Proudly signed it only to realize that I should not have signed it because it needs a notary and I'm supposed to sign in front of the notary. Fuck.
Put it down to deal with tomorrow because I've been up for 19 hours and I'm done.

Not including the other stuff. Done.

Crossposts: https://khatru.livejournal.com/27212.html

The COBRA management company claims that Otter is listed as eligible for COBRA because he was terminated, not deceased. This is causing bloody hell with me trying to elect COBRA.

Furthermore, there will be a new COBRA management company as of next week. I had called them on Monday to ask if it made more sense for me to wait to elect COBRA until they are the company or if I should do it now and the person I spoke to seemed rather flustered and said I should definitely elect it before it got to them and let the system pull things over.

Current COBRA management company has '3-5 business days' for their resolution of issues.

*headdesk**headdesk**headdesk*

Crossposts: https://khatru.livejournal.com/27109.html

This week I've been cold, spacy, sleeping, and feeling like I'm braining at 1/4 speed.

R, after trying and failing to get me to deal with the pharmacy to renew my meds, went to do that, with me giving her money from my stash to pay for them. Unfortunately, I need the actual brand name synthroid, which cost, by itself, more money than I gave her. She put the overage onto the debit card for the bank account, and got some more groceries.

I paid the last bill I was waiting for to come in, and gave C a check for one-time dues for some organization he was told would "look good on his resume". $60 was annoying, but small enough in the long run.

After the sticker shock at the pharmacy, R took the Cobra-Management-Company mail that finally showed up and tried to sign me up. Unfortunately, the second page of the form, instead of listing the dependents of the deceased (as the text of the form said it would), only listed Otter's information. She put in an email to their support desk, and got a reply 2 days later saying that they wouldn't talk to her cause of HIPAA. (Which is bullshit, but w'ever.) So she brought up the envelope, gave me the username/password she'd set up, and I dragged my ass to the computer. Only to find that they'd fixed it, and that page now had my and C's name on it. 2 pages later, I came to a screeching halt from the information that it would cost $1500+ for C and I, or 825+ for just me, per month, and would have to be paid up front to date before anything would be covered. Since that's more money than I currently have in the bank, I didn't go any further.

R found for me, on the healthcare.gov website, a link to "people to help you decide what to do". I called the first name on the list (that I got from putting my zip code in) and after playing phone tag for a day or so, talked to him today. It turns out that there is no single place to find out how much meds would cost on medicaid vs private insurance; this kind of comparison (other than "private insurance is always better than medicaid") needs to be done by going from doctor to doctor, pharmacy to pharmacy about drug by drug to compare prices. "I just go to the costco website cause it's useful, and get an idea of the prices from there." After listening to me rant a bit, he also strongly suggested I call the insurance commission and tell them the runaround I've been getting, cause apparently it *is* as fucked up as it sounds, and he's sure they would love to hear about it.

Today, I didn't take a call that turned out to be the Cobra Management Company calling to talk to me. No information as to why on the message they left. I didn't take a call that turned out to be the life insurance place, which tells me that they're FINALLY through doing their determination, and that the check will be sent out Monday, second day air, and if I have any questions to call. So I called, to find out *which* second day air thing, and did we have to be home for it, and got the 'i'm not in my office right now' message. So I called the generic customer service, and they said second day air is UPS, and they don't send it requiring a signature. They also said that I can call Monday afternoon and get a tracking number.

So I think I'm going to leave all this bullshit alone till Wednesday, when I will theoretically have a check in hand and be able to have a clue if I can afford ANYTHING AT ALL.

fmh.