Yesterday while in Yosemite National Park, we drove into a parking space only to have this woman jump in front of our car, put her hand up to tell us to stop because she wanted this space. Now, keep in mind that we are halfway in the space now. In order to move to another space, we would have to back out. Of course the stubbornness in us now has taken over like an alien possessing our bodies. We totally refuse to move. Then she calls over her two small children about 8 and 5 to come to her and then she sits them in front of our front bumper of the car. My husband turns off the car because we are afraid it will lurch (even if we tried to back out) and injure the children. Her husband arrives in his car and asks if there is a problem so my husband says yes, this lady is in front of our car. Then the man asks if we own that space! The lady says she has all the time in the world and my husband tells her that we are retired and probably have more time than she does. Finally, they move away and we finish parking.
Now I know that we probably could have handled it a different way but I see this a form of bullying and refused to give in. I felt like others probably had and that is why she thought she could do this. What an example she set for her children! Plus I felt she endangered them by sitting them in front of a car that was still running. It is no wonder that children are growing up to think bullying is okay if they see their parents doing this. What will happen when her children decide they want something that someone else has? Does this given them the right to say, "Stop! I want that so I should get it!"?
You know how you think later of all the things you should have/could have done? I wish I had taken a movie of it and told her that I would put it on youtube! I also wish I had told the husband that possession was 9/10ths of the law and we had possession of the space! Maybe we should just have backed out and moved on. I don't know but it was a messy unfortunate incident for all.
Showing posts with label Concern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Concern. Show all posts
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentines Day (and a rant too!)
Blog Prompt: Today is Valentine’s Day. What was your favorite Valentine gift?
My favorite valentine gift is the one I got this year. I decided that I wanted a web cam so I can talk by video with others and maybe even try to do some podcasts. I mentioned the possibility and the next thing I know my hubby tells me to research what I want and takes me out shopping to buy it. Now I have a webcam but noone to video talk with yet. I just found out my sister doesn't have a webcam! I am on Skype now but don't know anyone to talk to so if you have a webcam or skype, I'm loonyhiker!
Tonight I'm making lasagna for dinner since this was the first meal we ever had together! Keep your fingers crossed. I got this lasagna noodles from Barilla that are "no boil."
Now for the rant:
Last August I went to the emergency room for food poisoning. When I got the bill from the doctor's office (Gastroenterology Associates) in September, it stated that Blue Cross Blue Shield denied payment so I called. I found out that it wasn't listed as emergency services but as outpatient and emergency services should have been covered. After about 4 phone calls back and forth between the doctors office and the insurance company, the girl at the doctors office said she would call and get it straightened out and refile if necessary. I asked her to let me know if there was a problem and never got any call or bill since then. Today I get a letter from a collection agency telling me that they will ruin my credit because I didn't pay.
I called the doctor's office who said they would refile but when I asked for an email address so I could send a letter to verify the phone call, she refused to give me one. The lady did say the woman in charge of collections MAY POSSIBLY call the collection agency and put it on hold. I asked that this woman call me today when she gets back from lunch and I am still waiting. I will probably call around 4:15 if I haven't heard from her yet.
I called the collection agency (Merchants Credit Association, Inc.), long distance of course, who said I had to send a letter in writing and I asked for an email address to send the letter but she refused to give me one and said I had to send it by mail (does her family members work for the postal service?). She also told me that I shouldn't worry about documentation in case I go to court because they PROBABLYwon't go to court over $236. I asked for her supervisor or the owner of the company or even her attorney but she refused to give me that information and was extremely rude! I guess I made her mad by asking for someone higher up but they are threatening to ruin my credit! Needless to say I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau online (and they even supply an email address to contact them if necessary!)
I am willing to go to court if necessary. I am tired of calling the insurance company who tells me to call the doctors office who tells me to call the insurance company and the collection agency tells me to deal with the doctors office. No one wants to give me a straight answer and I should not be penalized for this since I pay my insurance premiums and I pay my bills on time! Maybe if we go to court I can get the doctor, the doctor's office people, the insurance company and the collection agency people all in one room to get this settled!
Thanks for listening!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Medicare Fraud or Taking Advantage of the Elderly?
Is it Medicare fraud or are they just taking advantage of the elderly? Let me tell you an interesting story and let you decide...
Recently my 87 year old dad suffered a mild stroke and after 2 days in the hospital he was sent to ManorCare rehab center in Boynton Beach, FL for 6 days (the limit that their insurance would pay). The day he got there someone came in and had him sign papers telling him about his copay responsibility. After that we asked that he not be given papers to sign without his wife being present and thought they respected our request. We realized how important it was to have a family member there because on the 5th day he was there he was asked to sign blank papers (the girl told him that she would fill all the blanks in for him when he asked for today’s date). He was even asked if he wanted to sign over all his finances into a trust fund run by the center but he refused. We asked for a copy of the completed forms and he has never received a copy of them.
On the day before his discharge, my dad was asked if he had a company in mind to come in to do some home health care and he didn’t. He didn’t even know what home health care was and what services are provided. This nurse just happened to have a friend who works for a company so she recommended her friend. The friend comes in and tells my parents that their insurance won’t pay for her services and proceeds to tell them what services my father will need and what their insurance will and won’t cover. When we asked her if the doctor is ordering these services, she said she had no idea. We asked her if she talked to my parent’s insurance company and she said no. This person, at the invitation of the rehab center, was telling my parents stuff that she had no knowledge about. Now, my parents who are in their 80s, were very confused and upset, especially when this person told them they should cancel their medical insurance and go straight Medicare! She also told them a man would call them to try to get him veteran’s benefits (she said no one knows about this law, even the VA, except this man) but they would have to sign a paper promising to sign over all checks they receive from the VA to this man! Needless to say, I told my parents this was a bad idea!
Next we are told that my dad would get a walker, a port-a-potty, and a wheelchair to be brought to his room when he would be discharged. No one could tell us if the insurance covers this equipment in full or not and they resented me asking these questions. He was not even given a quad cane, which would have been the most practical thing for him to use. We never saw a doctor’s order that said my father needed these things or when he was supposed to use them. Plus, he was never trained on how to use these things or told when he was to use them. Of course they inform my parents that he needs to buy “gliders” for the walker that costs about $30 not even knowing if he needs the walker. My parents were told the potty could be used as a seat when he takes a shower but no one even knows if it fits in their tub (it doesn’t) so they have to buy a seat for the tub. There isn’t even room to set the port-a-potty in the house other than the middle of their living room. No one came out to the house to see if the wheelchair is appropriate for the house (it isn’t because there is no room to wheel it around their tiny house). Since my stepmom can’t get it in and out of the car, the wheelchair is now in the trunk of their car (where they loaded it at the rehab center) and probably won’t even be used. The potty is out in their shed now.
At 9pm the night before his discharge, he is awakened by this strange man who is delivering this equipment. The man tells him he has to sign these papers and my father, a stroke patient who is obviously confused, half asleep, and upset, signs these papers (without any family member with him). He calls his wife and is extremely upset, which I don’t blame him so I call the nurse’s station. Nobody even knew this man had gone to my dad’s room to deliver equipment (but someone had to give him a code to let him in and a code to get out of the building). We had no idea that the wheelchair was rented for his use and we had no idea what this would cost them.
The next day I see the forms he signed that say he received training on how to use all this equipment and told about infectious diseases etc. My father says the man just delivered the stuff, had him sign this paper, and he left without giving him any training! When my father is being discharged, I ask for someone to tell him how to use the stuff, plus get the wheelchair in and out of the car (we live 700 miles away so we can’t help them with this when we go home!). I am told by the therapist that he is not entitled to physical therapy on the day he is discharged but she showed my stepmom how to take the foot rests off the chair and how to fold the chair. I asked why no one showed my dad how to use the walker but she had no answer other than to tell me he was trained when they delivered the stuff (at 9pm when my dad was half asleep?). When I asked why he needed a portapotty since he didn’t need one in the hospital or the rehab center, I was told that everyone gets one when they leave. Is this a door prize for choosing their center? If everyone gets one and many of these people don’t need one, is it any wonder that our insurance rates keep increasing?
We are also told that home health care will come to their house and a physical therapist will come to their home. My father took his own shower at home last night, fed himself, dresses himself and does everything he needs to do without any help. The left side of his face tingles and his left hand is numb and tingles. He wobbles a little when he walks (but he did that before the stroke too). We also played card games for 2 nights in a row and he is as sharp as he was before the stroke mentally. He even helped my stepmom cook dinner last night. He cut up the vegetables in small pieces with a sharp knife. Why does he need these people to come to his house? I found out that their insurance will not pay for this physical therapist to come to their house but everyone implied that they would. This of course confused my parents completely because they don’t understand why the rehab center said these people would come to their house if he didn’t need their help. Three different people told them that my father would receive services at home. Of course my parents understood this to mean that the insurance would pay for these services totally.
I found out their insurance will pay for the home health care to come out for 7 weeks for less than 35 hours per week. Someone is getting paid to provide services that my father does not need because no one has even been to his home to see what is appropriate. The rehab bought him a port-a-potty that he doesn’t need, won’t use, and isn’t even appropriate for his home. A wheelchair was rented for him (I was told by the insurance company that it is at no cost to my dad but he can keep it as long as he has this insurance) but it is so heavy, they can’t even get it in and out of the car. They can’t even use it in their house because their house is too small. My stepmom hopes that when they go out, if it is needed, they can ask complete strangers to help them get it in and out of the car. Meanwhile, this company is getting paid! No wonder our insurance rates keep increasing!
Is this normal for the elderly to be taken advantage of this way or is it just this rehab/nursing home that does business this way? I have written a letter to the director of ManorCare asking for a list of agencies that I can file a complaint with but I haven’t received this yet. If I don’t get any information from them, I will contact the Insurance Commission. My parents are not incompetent but they are easily confused and taken advantage of by all of these people and companies that want to soak them for every penny they have. This makes me furious that this goes on and hope that I can make lawmakers and regulatory agencies aware of what is going on. I know all of this complaining can’t help my parents but if this knowledge could help other elderly people, it will be worth it. I will begin my letter writing campaign to federal, state, and any licensing agencies I can complain to and hope to change this from happening.
If you have any suggestions of people I should contact, please feel free to leave your suggestions in your comment.
Recently my 87 year old dad suffered a mild stroke and after 2 days in the hospital he was sent to ManorCare rehab center in Boynton Beach, FL for 6 days (the limit that their insurance would pay). The day he got there someone came in and had him sign papers telling him about his copay responsibility. After that we asked that he not be given papers to sign without his wife being present and thought they respected our request. We realized how important it was to have a family member there because on the 5th day he was there he was asked to sign blank papers (the girl told him that she would fill all the blanks in for him when he asked for today’s date). He was even asked if he wanted to sign over all his finances into a trust fund run by the center but he refused. We asked for a copy of the completed forms and he has never received a copy of them.
On the day before his discharge, my dad was asked if he had a company in mind to come in to do some home health care and he didn’t. He didn’t even know what home health care was and what services are provided. This nurse just happened to have a friend who works for a company so she recommended her friend. The friend comes in and tells my parents that their insurance won’t pay for her services and proceeds to tell them what services my father will need and what their insurance will and won’t cover. When we asked her if the doctor is ordering these services, she said she had no idea. We asked her if she talked to my parent’s insurance company and she said no. This person, at the invitation of the rehab center, was telling my parents stuff that she had no knowledge about. Now, my parents who are in their 80s, were very confused and upset, especially when this person told them they should cancel their medical insurance and go straight Medicare! She also told them a man would call them to try to get him veteran’s benefits (she said no one knows about this law, even the VA, except this man) but they would have to sign a paper promising to sign over all checks they receive from the VA to this man! Needless to say, I told my parents this was a bad idea!
Next we are told that my dad would get a walker, a port-a-potty, and a wheelchair to be brought to his room when he would be discharged. No one could tell us if the insurance covers this equipment in full or not and they resented me asking these questions. He was not even given a quad cane, which would have been the most practical thing for him to use. We never saw a doctor’s order that said my father needed these things or when he was supposed to use them. Plus, he was never trained on how to use these things or told when he was to use them. Of course they inform my parents that he needs to buy “gliders” for the walker that costs about $30 not even knowing if he needs the walker. My parents were told the potty could be used as a seat when he takes a shower but no one even knows if it fits in their tub (it doesn’t) so they have to buy a seat for the tub. There isn’t even room to set the port-a-potty in the house other than the middle of their living room. No one came out to the house to see if the wheelchair is appropriate for the house (it isn’t because there is no room to wheel it around their tiny house). Since my stepmom can’t get it in and out of the car, the wheelchair is now in the trunk of their car (where they loaded it at the rehab center) and probably won’t even be used. The potty is out in their shed now.
At 9pm the night before his discharge, he is awakened by this strange man who is delivering this equipment. The man tells him he has to sign these papers and my father, a stroke patient who is obviously confused, half asleep, and upset, signs these papers (without any family member with him). He calls his wife and is extremely upset, which I don’t blame him so I call the nurse’s station. Nobody even knew this man had gone to my dad’s room to deliver equipment (but someone had to give him a code to let him in and a code to get out of the building). We had no idea that the wheelchair was rented for his use and we had no idea what this would cost them.
The next day I see the forms he signed that say he received training on how to use all this equipment and told about infectious diseases etc. My father says the man just delivered the stuff, had him sign this paper, and he left without giving him any training! When my father is being discharged, I ask for someone to tell him how to use the stuff, plus get the wheelchair in and out of the car (we live 700 miles away so we can’t help them with this when we go home!). I am told by the therapist that he is not entitled to physical therapy on the day he is discharged but she showed my stepmom how to take the foot rests off the chair and how to fold the chair. I asked why no one showed my dad how to use the walker but she had no answer other than to tell me he was trained when they delivered the stuff (at 9pm when my dad was half asleep?). When I asked why he needed a portapotty since he didn’t need one in the hospital or the rehab center, I was told that everyone gets one when they leave. Is this a door prize for choosing their center? If everyone gets one and many of these people don’t need one, is it any wonder that our insurance rates keep increasing?
We are also told that home health care will come to their house and a physical therapist will come to their home. My father took his own shower at home last night, fed himself, dresses himself and does everything he needs to do without any help. The left side of his face tingles and his left hand is numb and tingles. He wobbles a little when he walks (but he did that before the stroke too). We also played card games for 2 nights in a row and he is as sharp as he was before the stroke mentally. He even helped my stepmom cook dinner last night. He cut up the vegetables in small pieces with a sharp knife. Why does he need these people to come to his house? I found out that their insurance will not pay for this physical therapist to come to their house but everyone implied that they would. This of course confused my parents completely because they don’t understand why the rehab center said these people would come to their house if he didn’t need their help. Three different people told them that my father would receive services at home. Of course my parents understood this to mean that the insurance would pay for these services totally.
I found out their insurance will pay for the home health care to come out for 7 weeks for less than 35 hours per week. Someone is getting paid to provide services that my father does not need because no one has even been to his home to see what is appropriate. The rehab bought him a port-a-potty that he doesn’t need, won’t use, and isn’t even appropriate for his home. A wheelchair was rented for him (I was told by the insurance company that it is at no cost to my dad but he can keep it as long as he has this insurance) but it is so heavy, they can’t even get it in and out of the car. They can’t even use it in their house because their house is too small. My stepmom hopes that when they go out, if it is needed, they can ask complete strangers to help them get it in and out of the car. Meanwhile, this company is getting paid! No wonder our insurance rates keep increasing!
Is this normal for the elderly to be taken advantage of this way or is it just this rehab/nursing home that does business this way? I have written a letter to the director of ManorCare asking for a list of agencies that I can file a complaint with but I haven’t received this yet. If I don’t get any information from them, I will contact the Insurance Commission. My parents are not incompetent but they are easily confused and taken advantage of by all of these people and companies that want to soak them for every penny they have. This makes me furious that this goes on and hope that I can make lawmakers and regulatory agencies aware of what is going on. I know all of this complaining can’t help my parents but if this knowledge could help other elderly people, it will be worth it. I will begin my letter writing campaign to federal, state, and any licensing agencies I can complain to and hope to change this from happening.
If you have any suggestions of people I should contact, please feel free to leave your suggestions in your comment.
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