Sunday, October 14, 2007

A Few Corrections Are in Order

As some may know, I've been largely absent -- both reading and writing -- the past few weeks. It's weird: I get a mention on Crooks and Liars that boosts my hits through the roof, and then go poof. Oh well. Ten hours, seven days a week... sleeping with my head on the keyboard gets real old, real fast. I had the last two weekends off which helps, but...

Physically I've just gone to shit these past two years. First it was knee surgery in September '05, then I blew out a disk in February '06, and since May '07 I've been dealing with Carpal Tunnel symptoms, which leads me to my first correction: D-Cup over at Politits had a Birthday and I failed to congratulate her. Or would she rather we mourn? Congrats Babe; live long and prosper. She also mentioned me as one of her BlogHotties; a mention which greatly flatters me, Thank You, Sweety, and said I was back from surgery. Maybe I wasn't clear when I mentioned it first, but said Carpal Tunnel surgery has yet to happen. I don't know when said surgery will happen. Back in May when I first filed a Worker's Comp claim, it seemed a no-brainer.

Five Fuckin' months. OK, I don't write all that often on state/local shit (no real reason for that, I just don't), but there's a ballot measure coming up in WA: Referendum 67. Insurance companies versus trial lawyers versus people versus... It's not perfect (never is), but supposedly it balances out a law on the books that protects insurance companies from fraudulent claims, by providing people to sue for up to triple damages when insurance companies deny/delay payment on legitimate claims. Or something like that. I hear and read shit about frivolous law suits and such, but the one that gets me is the mantra: This will cause insurance rates to rise, to which I say resoundingly: BULL FUCKING SHIT! This, among other things, is what causes rates to rise:

For about a month now, I've been waiting for an approval from some organization called Qualis. These assholes have been contracted by the state to... well... you read about it here. So in a nutshell, my doc sends all my info over to them, they look at it and then decide that I can, or cannot, have surgery. How long should this effort to streamline things take? My doc said two weeks; she also said they seem to be behind. Well after two and a half weeks, the wife calls Qualis, and they say thay have no info on me. Sooo... my doc sends the shit again. A week later? Qualis tells my wife AGAIN that they don't have my shit. Now the lady at my Doc's office is pissed; Qualis is basically calling her a liar; anybody'd be pissed. Well FINALLY a few days later some bitch (and I say bitch, because according to Ms Thing who answered the phone, bitch is exactly what she was) calls and says they have my shit and will review it.

So how does this incompetence raise rates? DUH... because the state forks over tax dollars to a parasitic organization that exists to fill a need that never existed before they invented themselves to play fairy godmother. In the meantime, schmucks like me have to sit around feeling like we have our fingers stuck in a wall socket. Oh looky here.... they have,

"Web-Based Utilization Review via iEXCHANGE
A browser-based application that uses a secure Internet connection to allow healthcare providers to submit utilization review requests."


WOW!!! Impressive.

Privatization = Parasitism

Now I can't remember my other corrections. Shit.

BTW... Was I clear? I have yet to hear if Qualis has approved my surgery.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chris - Wishful thinking on my part! I wish you could get that surgery already. What a pain in the ass and wrist.

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you on the surgery.

Hang in there, man.

Chris in Seattle said...

Actually... My wife's been riding herd on everyone, and we just got approval, and surgery's scheduled for next Thursday. YIPPPEEE !!!!!

Thanks for the good wishes.