Wednesday, March 4, 2009

It Happened on Venting Day

It's been a heck of day. It's been a heck of a week. And it isn't over.

Already I feel like I've used up an entire week. I keep thinking it should be Saturday tomorrow. After just two days.

Tuesday was a funeral day. My sister's best friend in the world died of cancer not long ago and Tuesday was the day they had services for her. I knew Sue, but hadn't seen her since before 1980. But I love my sister and went to offer her comfort.

Around supper time we went to the hospital to visit my mother. Mickey came, too. As we arrived I mentioned to Son that the day would come when we wouldn't notice such drastic improvement from the last time we saw her. I added that I hoped today wouldn't be one of those days. It was. Mother was actually worse. But it was kind of her own fault.

She has been on a liquid diet since the Tuesday before her surgery. This means drinking some gelatin mixture which she said was making her gag just to think of it. So she didn't take anything for breakfast. Mother is diabetic. Not taking her gelatin resulted in her becoming weak, sleepy, and she got the shivers. She was shivering when we came in. A nurse came by and gave her more blankets, but she was still shivering. She fell asleep and we talked with my brother.

They brought in food and she woke. She was so ravenous she actually sat up and ate. Mashed potatoes and a turkey gravy. Then she lay down, shivering, and fell asleep. So we left.

Today I went to visit her again. My aunt and uncles were coming down from Duluth to visit. They were bringing pictures for me. Shortly before I left my mother called and left a message (I was on the phone). She was being released today. To go home.

I don't understand, and neither did my aunt, uncles, brother, or mother. My mother cannot even stand up without help. Why is she being sent home? Her closest child lives about fifteen miles away. I and Helvie live about forty miles away. Her brother and sister live two hundred miles away. How is she supposed to get around alone? She isn't allowed to have people live with her. There's no room anyway. Her apartment consists of a kitchen with less than six feet of walk space between counters and appliances. Her living room is big enough for a loveseat sofa and two small chairs. Her bedroom is big enough for her bed and a dresser. There aren't any other rooms.

Insurance companies. They don't care if people die. All they care about is not paying out money for policies people have paid for. They promise one thing and deliver as little against it as they can get away with.

I spent seven months working for a software company which did software for a couple of major insurance companies. Do you know what over 50% of the code was designed to do? Look for reasons NOT to pay. ANY reason. It's all about delaying payment. Often, especially with people like me, the policy holder becomes so frustrated they give up and the insurance company never has to pay what they legally agreed to pay. With Spouse, however, they kind of met their match. (When we had insurance) Spouse would jump through every hoop they said had to be jumped. She would dot every "I" they said needed to be dotted. She would do absolutely everything they said was required. I remember it took over a year, but Spouse got the insurance company to pay for a $320 claim. I had given up months earlier. Spouse can be very anal. There are times that is very useful. You need it when dealing with an insurance company. You also need a powerful lawyer.

Insurance companies.

People who have never been to medical school dictate how long a person can be in a hospital. Their criteria? Money. Same with medications. The insurance company changed my heart medicine without consulting my doctor. When I called my heart doctor and told him, he went ballistic. He had to give me samples because it was going to take a while to convice the desk jockies that their cheaper subsitute really wasn't the same this time. Sometimes alternate medicines are all right. But insurance companies don't bother asking. They never ask.

I hate insurance companies. Old G.W. wanted to seek out evil and destroy it. Well, he was looking in the wrong place. Iraq and Afghanistan didn't have health insurance companies. The real enemy is among us, and there's not a d*mn thing we can do about it.

6 comments:

Lisa said...

Insurance companies would likely prefer people die versus on going medical care.
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that they wanted software that looked for reason why they shouldn't have to pay a claim!

My husband received a notice from his insurance about the continuation of physical therapy sessions. Then it added that it wouldn't be covered if not covered under his policy. Well, wasn't that the entire point of the request was to SEE if it was covered - sigh . . .

It must be scary for your family if you mother is getting out when she's still so ill!

Bevie said...

My brother called me last night. He said she seemed to be all right. She was able to get up on her own. (She hadn't been at the hospital.)

Fortunately, she lives in a place for the elderly. They tend to stop by each other's apartments a lot and check on each other.

I'm forty miles away, so my main mode of checking will be the telephone.

I couldn't stand the job writing insurance software. Some of the reasons for denying claims so disgusted me. People had changed addresses and not notified the insurance company. I quit after just seven months.

Lisa said...

I admire that you didn't continue with the job as it troubled you!

(I love the daily kitten :-)

Bevie said...

The daily kitten was something I stumbled upon. Kind of cool.

Not sure I deserve being admired. There were plenty who looked at me with disgust for leaving the job.

My problem is that the things which seem to mean the most to most people I meet don't mean jack to me. And visa-versa.

jaz said...

Bevie, I wish I could say I'm surprised. They barely let you spend the night in the hospital after you have a baby these days and it seems like the one goal from the minute any patient gets there is to get him back out again. Your mother seems really strong, so hopefully she will do okay. Hang in there!

Bevie said...

Thanks, Jennifer.