Government healthcare 03/20/23
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a non-happy topic. Evil dragons ahead!!
So, November of last year I thought, "Hey, I haven't poked at
Healthcare.gov in a while, maybe I'll have a lookie-look." I hop on
the website and click some links, and find out that for people
who earn a living there is still no affordable healthcare on
healthcare.gov. I get it, someone out there thinks it's the bees knees
(in fact, I think I recall reading someone extolling the virtues of it
on gopher!) but it ain't this guy.
Fine, no big deal. My healthshare and self-pay is working out pretty
well. It's a lot of work and expense, but it gets the job done.
Then, a few days after that episode, I get a bill in the mail for a
state healthcare plan for two of my kids. Nice... bamboozled! Tricked
into signing up for something I don't need or want. I don't recall
asking to sign up for that, but they did get really, really pushy
about getting all my info before I could even browse, so it's not
terribly surprising.
Alright, fine. I call the number on the bill. This is the first level
of hell. If you can make it through all the prompts and menus, you get
placed in a line. It was a while ago, but I recall being on hold for
more than an hour. Then, they notify me that I need to call another
number, not the one on the bill. Wow, thank you. I call that number
and wait on hold again, this time I believe it was something just
under a half hour. This person says they can help me, takes some info
and makes some notes, and bob's your uncle, I'm clear. I should get a
letter confirming in 7-10 business days.
Those days pass, and no mail. The second level of hell has been
entered. at this point. I call again, and give them all the
information about my previous calls (I know to take detailed notes
when dealing with the Government.) They inform me that it can actually
take up to 30 days for that letter to go out, but that yes, they can
see on their notes that it is in the works. How nice! So, I pack up
the notes and paperwork and put it in a file. No need to worry, if the
mail comes I'll file it.
Fast forward to today, when the third level of hell began. I get
another bill in the mail, for the service that I never signed
up for and don't want, and already canceled according to two
representatives. I call the number on the sheet, and wait on hold for
40 minutes. The representative tells me I have to call another
division, and gives me a new phone number (one that I don't already
have, surprise surprise). I call them and enter the fourth level of
hell, the cyclical phone menu system.
This time, I give up on the phone system. Humans won't help. At least,
not humans that work for government healthcare (yes, this is .gov land
people, solidly in the gov's court.) So I take to the internet and
work my way through their website, digging up an email address and a
fax number that seem to belong to the right department. I even found
an online document submission system (which doesn't work in Firefox,
but oh well.) I write up a document with my signature on it and some
account numbers and a formal request to "voluntarily close the case"
the verbiage that one phone person let slip. I email, submit, and fax
it, and NOW bob's your uncle. I hope.
My morning was shot. Ah well. I had work to do, too.
***
Note: I know my life is amazing if I can complain about wasting
time with government programs. I know some people find government
healthcare a life-saving blessing that brings tears to their eyes. I'm
super glad that I have the blessings that I have in my life, and I
know a lot of people have it much, much worse. I wish I could help
them all, but I do what I can. I wish government agencies would stop
being greedy pigs, ruining everything in sight with their idiocy, but
they won't.
The reason I bother paying any attention to this nonsense at all is
this: I know that if I don't cross all my t's and dot all my i's as a
parent, the government can step in and give me the deepest levels of
hell, the ones where people abandon all hope, through their so-called
welfare services. This means that since I triggered something with my
healthcare.gov exploration, I have to follow it to whatever end they
force, or face retribution. If you think I'm full of it, do some
research.
For now, I've closed the folder once again. Maybe I'll get
verification that I've done enough grovelling, and maybe they'll send
me some verification that the cases are closed. Maybe not. Perhaps
I'll get another bill, and be forced to run the Pavlovian gambit
again. In any case, right now it's time for lunch.
