i applied for a credit card today to transfer balances and get a lower rate. i was turned down because i don't have enough income vs my debt. i may have mentioned before, i have excellent credit, i pay my bills on time and have for 20+ years. i've been putting a lot on credit cards for a while now because i saw how long it was taking me to get work and i didn't want to find myself without cash. i had been debt free for years, except my mortgage. honestly, i can't remember ever being turned down for a credit card. i don't like it one bit.
i'm trying to figure out a way to pay less interest and the banks aren't letting me. ok, so when the stupid banks try to pay back MY TAXPAYER bailout, i think we should charge them exorbitant late fees, jack up their rates and deny them any more credit. bastards!!
i'm a bit of a control freak and this makes me feel like i just stole food from an orphanage. geez. i just can't find work as readily as i once did. never realized it was a crime.
Monday, June 8, 2009
sending in my new medical insurance payment
i'm actually happy to be sending in my new health insurance payment. it's much less than the old one, so i really like that. it's also empire blue cross which has got to be better than GHI, we'll see. of course, now i'm on the open market buying prescriptions. unfortunately, the Rx plan offered does not include even one of the drugs i take regularly. you'd think i was taking experimental cancer drugs for what these things cost. all i actually take are anti-depressants, allergy meds and birth control pills. wish me luck!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
trying not to freak out
my savings are almost gone.
i've been in nyc for 20 years, and this is by far the hardest it has ever been to find work. some of that may be that i'm older and more expensive. but i really think it has more to do with companies doing what they always do when money is tight: they panic and stop spending.
for years now, exemplary companies have always said it's best to invest in a downturn--costs are lower, competitors can't, etc. so why isn't anyone listening?
i was trained as a journalist, so part of me is simply fascinated with what's going on. that doesn't help paying the bills, especially in such an expensive city. i guess i feel like i at least have resources and can possibly be a voice for all the other folks who are trying to make it. maybe that's just a really elaborate form of denial?
i've been in nyc for 20 years, and this is by far the hardest it has ever been to find work. some of that may be that i'm older and more expensive. but i really think it has more to do with companies doing what they always do when money is tight: they panic and stop spending.
for years now, exemplary companies have always said it's best to invest in a downturn--costs are lower, competitors can't, etc. so why isn't anyone listening?
i was trained as a journalist, so part of me is simply fascinated with what's going on. that doesn't help paying the bills, especially in such an expensive city. i guess i feel like i at least have resources and can possibly be a voice for all the other folks who are trying to make it. maybe that's just a really elaborate form of denial?
Monday, June 1, 2009
medco/GHI rant
This is what I sent to Medco recently in response to their survey.
After receiving info today from GHI, yet again, telling me never to stop taking my anti-depressants without first talking to my doctor, reminding me that it may take 6 months to see results, I am so angry that the combination of GHI/Medco has made it virtually impossible to get my anti-depressants on time, regardless of when I put the order in.
I order my anti-depressants quarterly for a 3-month supply as required. The last two times, I have had significant problems.
Here’s what happened with my anti-depressant, Cymbalta:
On Feb 3, 2009, I received a note from Medco dated 1-26-09 saying that I did not have the authorizations I needed. I’d already had the order in for two weeks and was shocked. I spoke to Larry at GHI who said all the authorizations were fine and Medco should be shipping any day.
On Friday Feb 6, 2009, I checked online and saw that my Cymbalta order was no longer there. I spoke with Liza, a customer service rep from Medco who is obviously paid to say no. She said orders don’t disappear, mine did. I believe it timed out in the system. She was absolutely no help and I ended up screaming at her because I know how important it is that I don’t miss my meds. I finally insisted on speaking with a supervisor and spoke with Akisha who was understanding, did not assume I was lying, checked out everything and set it up so that my Rx was delivered the following Tues at no cost to me. That’s all I wanted.
On May 11, 2009, I had to go through the same thing again. I spoke to Akisha at GHI who said she would call Medco with the authorization and get back to me. I never heard back, so I called again and spoke to Raymond who told me that he would be the person to put through an expedited order and had nothing for me. He not only put through my order, but also got me a 7-day supply from my local pharmacy so I wouldn’t miss even one dose. He was fantastic!
When GHI moved to Medco:
My birth control pills did not get transferred, and I didn’t find out about it until it was almost too late. I’m not supposed to miss doses of birth control pills.
I received only a 30-day supply for Allegra-D, which Express Scripts says is a “maintenance drug” and can be dispensed in 90-day increments. I had to call to find out Medco does not classify it as a maintenance drug, so I have to order and pay $54.28/month.
I pay GHI $650/month for the privilege of paying $341.75 out-of-pocket for Cymbalta quarterly.
As a technology manager, I know that the problem is Medco and GHI’s systems don’t properly communicate. If I were the boss, I’d have to say, “then find a provider our system does speak with.” I can’t even get a price until my order arrives.
Honestly, I can’t wait to dump both GHI and Medco. Dealing with healthcare should not make me ill. Please do something to improve communications between GHI and Medco so others like me don’t have to suffer.
After receiving info today from GHI, yet again, telling me never to stop taking my anti-depressants without first talking to my doctor, reminding me that it may take 6 months to see results, I am so angry that the combination of GHI/Medco has made it virtually impossible to get my anti-depressants on time, regardless of when I put the order in.
I order my anti-depressants quarterly for a 3-month supply as required. The last two times, I have had significant problems.
Here’s what happened with my anti-depressant, Cymbalta:
On Feb 3, 2009, I received a note from Medco dated 1-26-09 saying that I did not have the authorizations I needed. I’d already had the order in for two weeks and was shocked. I spoke to Larry at GHI who said all the authorizations were fine and Medco should be shipping any day.
On Friday Feb 6, 2009, I checked online and saw that my Cymbalta order was no longer there. I spoke with Liza, a customer service rep from Medco who is obviously paid to say no. She said orders don’t disappear, mine did. I believe it timed out in the system. She was absolutely no help and I ended up screaming at her because I know how important it is that I don’t miss my meds. I finally insisted on speaking with a supervisor and spoke with Akisha who was understanding, did not assume I was lying, checked out everything and set it up so that my Rx was delivered the following Tues at no cost to me. That’s all I wanted.
On May 11, 2009, I had to go through the same thing again. I spoke to Akisha at GHI who said she would call Medco with the authorization and get back to me. I never heard back, so I called again and spoke to Raymond who told me that he would be the person to put through an expedited order and had nothing for me. He not only put through my order, but also got me a 7-day supply from my local pharmacy so I wouldn’t miss even one dose. He was fantastic!
When GHI moved to Medco:
My birth control pills did not get transferred, and I didn’t find out about it until it was almost too late. I’m not supposed to miss doses of birth control pills.
I received only a 30-day supply for Allegra-D, which Express Scripts says is a “maintenance drug” and can be dispensed in 90-day increments. I had to call to find out Medco does not classify it as a maintenance drug, so I have to order and pay $54.28/month.
I pay GHI $650/month for the privilege of paying $341.75 out-of-pocket for Cymbalta quarterly.
As a technology manager, I know that the problem is Medco and GHI’s systems don’t properly communicate. If I were the boss, I’d have to say, “then find a provider our system does speak with.” I can’t even get a price until my order arrives.
Honestly, I can’t wait to dump both GHI and Medco. Dealing with healthcare should not make me ill. Please do something to improve communications between GHI and Medco so others like me don’t have to suffer.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
mortgage adjust & auto-payment rant
just got a note from my bank that my mortgage is adjusting DOWN. Yay. My payment is going down about $50/month.
thing is, this is wells fargo and the way they set up their automatic payments is they automatically take the minimum. they've been doing the same with a credit card balance of mine. with my mortgage and home equity loans and my credit cards, I ALWAYS pay more than the minimum. that's how my original mortgage is down to $55,000. for the credit card, i was happy it was getting paid on time, but after a year, it looks like I pretty much just paid interest for a year.
UGH! i know better than this, but i'm really not looking forward to the bank calls.
encouragement appreciated.
thing is, this is wells fargo and the way they set up their automatic payments is they automatically take the minimum. they've been doing the same with a credit card balance of mine. with my mortgage and home equity loans and my credit cards, I ALWAYS pay more than the minimum. that's how my original mortgage is down to $55,000. for the credit card, i was happy it was getting paid on time, but after a year, it looks like I pretty much just paid interest for a year.
UGH! i know better than this, but i'm really not looking forward to the bank calls.
encouragement appreciated.
banks! i need a bailout
here's the thing, my last refinance was based on "no income" because i didn't have any steady income. why do banks think that every single person has a series of 9 to 5 jobs, especially when most people don't these days? so, to make themselves feel better about me having no income, they took into account all my retirement savings, which was about $250,000 at the time. of course, now it's more like $150,000 thanks to the stock market. all my debt, including mortgage, home eq & credit cards is just under $200,000 for an apt that was last appraised for $550,000.
On paper I should be in good shape, but i doubt that's what the banks will think. UGH! i want to combine everything and get a low interest rate, but i'm dreading the banks making me feel like a big, broke loooser.
i've been watching the media industry a bit and it's a mess. everyone's getting laid off and whoever is working is too freaked out to make a decision, so consultants are left waiting and waiting and then expected to perform miracles for nothing. it's very much like when i first moved to nyc in 1989.
right now, what i'm most worried about is worry. it's not helping, but at the same time, would i be insane if i didn't let this bother me?
On paper I should be in good shape, but i doubt that's what the banks will think. UGH! i want to combine everything and get a low interest rate, but i'm dreading the banks making me feel like a big, broke loooser.
i've been watching the media industry a bit and it's a mess. everyone's getting laid off and whoever is working is too freaked out to make a decision, so consultants are left waiting and waiting and then expected to perform miracles for nothing. it's very much like when i first moved to nyc in 1989.
right now, what i'm most worried about is worry. it's not helping, but at the same time, would i be insane if i didn't let this bother me?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
health insurance round 2
i finally got my paperwork in for healthy ny. it's health insurance for individuals, sole proprietors (like me) and families under a certain income level. since i haven't been earning much and have the tax records to prove it, it was time to stop paying $650/mos for the privilege of paying for everything.
i met their fax deadline, so i should be covered june 1. yes, i am currently not covered. i just couldn't justify the premium this month. i wonder how many others have said that? and how many will have to.
i've chosen their plan without rx coverage because i called to check and they do not cover EVEN ONE of the medications i take regularly.
i'll be paying $270/mos. i found out i can buy prescriptions without any insurance for what i was paying iwth the evil ghi/medco. hopefully i won't be ranting about my new health plan soon. it's a blue cross hmo. fingers crossed. having this one thing done is a big weight off my mind.
next: credit cards and stupid broken headphones.
i met their fax deadline, so i should be covered june 1. yes, i am currently not covered. i just couldn't justify the premium this month. i wonder how many others have said that? and how many will have to.
i've chosen their plan without rx coverage because i called to check and they do not cover EVEN ONE of the medications i take regularly.
i'll be paying $270/mos. i found out i can buy prescriptions without any insurance for what i was paying iwth the evil ghi/medco. hopefully i won't be ranting about my new health plan soon. it's a blue cross hmo. fingers crossed. having this one thing done is a big weight off my mind.
next: credit cards and stupid broken headphones.
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