The Venting Thread

[mamselle]

Wonder what would happen if you dropped off a couple of octopuses in their office in the dead of night...

Sorry, unworthy thought...

M.

[FishProf]

I'd prefer Cuttlefish.

Also, excellent proper pluralization there.

[mamselle]

I'd prefer Cuttlefish.

Also, excellent proper pluralization there.

Merci bien.

M.

[downer]

The expectations of the administration for the "regular and substantive interaction" in virtual classes are great. Or they would be if I were only teaching 20 students per semester. Unfortunately, it just created an expectation of lying about what one will do in one's class, because it would be impossible to do what they are expecting.

[Funastrum]

I have the idea that lots of admin processes are attempts to train you to lie.  If only you would say what they want to hear, then all would be right in their world.  Just because their world and the real one have no overlap is not their fault, right?

[lightning]

The expectations of the administration for the "regular and substantive interaction" in virtual classes are great. Or they would be if I were only teaching 20 students per semester. Unfortunately, it just created an expectation of lying about what one will do in one's class, because it would be impossible to do what they are expecting.

Not a lie. It's theater. Put on a show of "regular and substantive interaction."

Don't try to do real "regular and substantive interaction" for all the students because, as you say, it's impossible, but more importantly, most of the students don't want it, either. Only a few do--save it for those that count. Students will be willing and complicit actors in your theater of "regular and substantive interaction." Go for a Tony award!!!!

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

So, the bills from my THIRTEEN HOUR ER visit last month (turned out to be nothing) have been trickling in. After a $250 copay at the ER, I have received 3 more bills and will receive a bill for the facility use for another $240. What the hell is the point of the fucking health insurance?

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I must be horribly naive because I called my insurance company to double check my claims and the rep told me the ER billed the insurance company $10,000 just for me walking in the door (which they're denying most of since they're double billing). Apparently that's a standard ER fee for insurance companies. What do people without health insurance do? Shit!!!

[ergative]

I must be horribly naive because I called my insurance company to double check my claims and the rep told me the ER billed the insurance company $10,000 just for me walking in the door (which they're denying most of since they're double billing). Apparently that's a standard ER fee for insurance companies. What do people without health insurance do? Shit!!!
[/quote

I feel like I've read somewhere that people paying out-of-pocket actually can get substantially better deals than what insurance gets charged, just because the providers know that insurance can pay more than individuals. Sometimes the deals are so much better that, if you ask, you might find that paying out of pocket costs less than what your copay + deductible would total.

[Langue_doc]

I must be horribly naive because I called my insurance company to double check my claims and the rep told me the ER billed the insurance company $10,000 just for me walking in the door (which they're denying most of since they're double billing). Apparently that's a standard ER fee for insurance companies. What do people without health insurance do? Shit!!!

People without insurance are considered "indigent" and therefore don't have to pay the rates billed to insurance companies. I learned about this when the insurance company billed me for the full amount for an ER visit, despite showing my insurance card as soon as I entered the ER. I would call every month as soon as I got the bill and tell the hospital that I had insurance, wasn't "indigent", and that they should send me the bill for the co-pay. It took over six months for them to resolve this bill. Interestingly, each month the amount I had to pay kept shrinking, presumably because they decided that I couldn't afford the amount originally billed.

[marshwiggle]

So, the bills from my THIRTEEN HOUR ER visit last month (turned out to be nothing) have been trickling in. After a $250 copay at the ER, I have received 3 more bills and will receive a bill for the facility use for another $240. What the hell is the point of the fucking health insurance?

If you live in a country with universal public health insurance, then it works exactly as you would expect. The government is kind of stuck with all of their "customers", so short of bumping them off, they can't try to get them to leave and go elsewhere.

[downer]

I must be horribly naive because I called my insurance company to double check my claims and the rep told me the ER billed the insurance company $10,000 just for me walking in the door (which they're denying most of since they're double billing). Apparently that's a standard ER fee for insurance companies. What do people without health insurance do? Shit!!!

There's a fuller answer to the question here:
https://www.talktomira.com/post/how-much-does-an-er-visit-cost
It's complicated.
Hospitals generally use people with insurance to subsidize the costs of patients without insurance.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I must be horribly naive because I called my insurance company to double check my claims and the rep told me the ER billed the insurance company $10,000 just for me walking in the door (which they're denying most of since they're double billing). Apparently that's a standard ER fee for insurance companies. What do people without health insurance do? Shit!!!

There's a fuller answer to the question here:
https://www.talktomira.com/post/how-much-does-an-er-visit-cost
It's complicated.
Hospitals generally use people with insurance to subsidize the costs of patients without insurance.

I know. I was just so frustrated by the process. Still am.

[downer]

I must be horribly naive because I called my insurance company to double check my claims and the rep told me the ER billed the insurance company $10,000 just for me walking in the door (which they're denying most of since they're double billing). Apparently that's a standard ER fee for insurance companies. What do people without health insurance do? Shit!!!

There's a fuller answer to the question here:
https://www.talktomira.com/post/how-much-does-an-er-visit-cost
It's complicated.
Hospitals generally use people with insurance to subsidize the costs of patients without insurance.

I know. I was just so frustrated by the process. Still am.

US health care works well for some, but on the whole is both ineffective and exploitative. It's a shit show.

[mamselle]

But it's essentially a market-based structure, isn't it?

Doesn't the market work in this case?

M.