G-Damn Healthcare in this country sucks

[bluehenbillk]

I already pay more $ in medical/dental benefits in my current job than I ever have before. Put it this way - what I pay regularly for benefits alone qualifies me to file on Schedule A for a deduction, and no I'm not self-employed - it's my company plan.

So today, at 10am I go online to register for a flexible spending account thinking today is the last day - problem is apparently yesterday was the last day, midnight CST to be exact, so I'm 9 hours late. I call customer service, hold for 10 minutes ask if I can still do it - told I can't. I ask for a supervisor - explain to her, I had even called last week about a question on the plan, how I get reimbursed - told her I thought I was told today was the last day - nope - hardline - cold answers, was told they already had a 45 day window instead of a traditional 30 & I was SOL basically. I explained the matter to our COO who got an e-mail reminder about it, but was out yesterday & didn't forward it. He sent an e-mail to our HR liaison petitioning them but now I'm at their friggin mercy.

Anyone suggest any alternatives?

The next time you hear teachers, or city/state/federal workers, labor unions, etc complain about paying more of their benefits, have them call me.

[Gil Dobie]

With Obamacare the price is going to skyrocket. Healthcare professionals are paying a lot of money to buy the software, and more money to pay people to enter the information to begin with. I'm working on EHR software right now, and the government is going to have access to a lot of information. For example, walk into a clinic for a checkup now and you get a questionaire that ask if you have have a gun in your home. 1984 is just a few years late, George Orwell is laughing from his grave.

[kalm]

End for-profit insurance.

[AZGrizFan]

I think you're mistaking HEALTH CARE for INSURANCE COMPANIES.

Big, huge, massive difference.

[kalm]

I think you're mistaking HEALTH CARE for INSURANCE COMPANIES.

Big, huge, massive difference.

End for-profit healthcare insurance companies.

[bluehenbillk]

Well problem solved - as usual I had to go the route of complaining and finding a loophole.

Took the problem up the ladder - supposedly the website we use for this had techncial difficulties yesterday so I pleaded that to no good so pleaded my case to another level or two above me & then magically the deadline was extended to EOD Monday because of the internet site going down.

Shouldn't have to be that hard & many lesser willed & single (read: upset wife that I didn't get it in on time) people would have just given up.

[AZGrizFan]

Well problem solved - as usual I had to go the route of complaining and finding a loophole.

Took the problem up the ladder - supposedly the website we use for this had techncial difficulties yesterday so I pleaded that to no good so pleaded my case to another level or two above me & then magically the deadline was extended to EOD Monday because of the internet site going down.

Shouldn't have to be that hard & many lesser willed & single (read: upset wife that I didn't get it in on time) people would have just given up.

So, let me get this straight: YOU fuck up and miss a deadline, and somehow it's the HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY'S FAULT and they now need to bend over backwards to adjust THEIR deadlines to cover for YOUR fuckup.

Classic.

[bluehenbillk]

Well problem solved - as usual I had to go the route of complaining and finding a loophole.

Took the problem up the ladder - supposedly the website we use for this had techncial difficulties yesterday so I pleaded that to no good so pleaded my case to another level or two above me & then magically the deadline was extended to EOD Monday because of the internet site going down.

Shouldn't have to be that hard & many lesser willed & single (read: upset wife that I didn't get it in on time) people would have just given up.

So, let me get this straight: YOU **** up and miss a deadline, and somehow it's the HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY'S FAULT and they now need to bend over backwards to adjust THEIR deadlines to cover for YOUR ****.

Classic.

In theory that could be true, but there is no real reason why they couldn't accommodate somebody today for something that doesn't even start until 1/1/12. It was probably really the cold, inflexible people that I got on the phone with & the fact I pay more for this coverage now than I ever have in my life. Maybe if I had a cushy public sector plan where I'd pay say 25% of what I do now I wouldn't complain.