What an Interesting time. Working on a room for the Baby on the way. A little girl. So much to do with so little time left to do it in. At this point only 20 weeks left and about 60 weeks worth of 1 at a time projects. With work, appointment's, weddings, other people baby showers, etc there is no time. Plus trying to have some resemblance of a life with fun. I need a pause button to fit in a TV show during the week. No a better solution would be more TV's in Every room showing exactly what was on the other. Oh and the remote must work from all rooms. Problem, all the money for those new TV's needed for the baby room. Oh well Guess I'll have time after shes born right? (I wonder how much space my DVR has?) Yeah that's right time frees up after the kid is born (if only I believed that)... Great time though, wouldn't trade them for the world. Not even the world....
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Mom and baby heartbeat
Mom and baby heartbeat
Originally uploaded by Houzvicka
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Some days
So much going on right now. An amazing time with the brain and everything else unstable at the moment. Getting read to take a needed short break. Well break may not always be the ideal word but thats what I'm going treat it like. Its call the low budget drive to see family. But hey can't have great amounts of theme park and 100 stop restaurant fun all the time. The big news is in less than 200 days there will be a little Houzvicka in the world. It's amazing to think all it took and how much in the hole I'm starting just due to it's birth. But hey a hole is made so you can dig yourself out of it right? Have to shovel the dirt in day by day. So much work to do on the house just to get ready, in October we find out the sex and I think this week is the 13th already. 40 total if all goes as planned. Still fighting with the insurance company about the money they should of paid and didn't but that should be resolved in a month or 200. Today having a yard sale to sell the junk that I'll end up just giving away to Salvation Army if it doesn't. I need the room in my garage. It's amazing how people haggle with you on prices (I don't mind this its a yard sale) but the others you tell them a higher price and they don't even try a lower one. They think thats your final price, haggle people. I shouldn't have to say while your walking away what do you think is good. ITS A YARD SALE not a retail store. When I worked in those I had people haggle all the time (and thats just funny, Sure I can lower the price of that TV screw what the manager says). Honestly this is old crap, I'm happy to give it to you I just want a little green or silver for it. Thanks for reading me ramble I'm done now...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Explain This to me
Ok trying to figure this one out. For those of you who don't know my Wife and I are going through IVF. Very expensive to say the least I'm broke now. Anyway's, Before we did the IVF we did the things called IUI's Insurance covered 100% besides the final part where we paid 200.00 each time we went through it.
No big deal compared to the IVF. The IVF we have literally paid thousands which is 20% of what our insurance paid not counting a surgery Mel had to have earlier this year which helped with the deductible etcetera.
Well we went to an appointment today that consisted of a blood test and ultrasound same exact thing that we did with the IUI and we paid 0.00 because insurance covers it @ 100%. Well this time there was a 40.00 charge I question as to why there is a 40.00 charge. The answer because they put an office visit on the bill. Ok well I understand if we see a doctor and sit in the office or ask a tin of questions that there could be an office charge.
I'd accept this with no issues. But there is nothing different from this visit to the IUI. With the IUI they did the ultra sound the and blood work, the doctor reviews the information and says increase dose, reduce dose, keep same dose etcetera. The Ultrasound nurse calls and relays whatever the doctor said.
Well the exact same thing is going to happen today, the only difference will be that the ART nurses will call. (Nurses that deal with only people doing IVF). So I call the billing lady and ask "Why the extra charge for an office visit when this is the exact same procedure as the IUI?" She says that its because the doctor reviews the results of the test. I reply with that is the exact same thing they did with the IUI. My final answer was this is what we do for patients that have insurance.
Hummmmmm. So I get charged more because I pay out of my pocket less............
Oh and this is going to happen at least 2 more times possibly many more.....
No big deal compared to the IVF. The IVF we have literally paid thousands which is 20% of what our insurance paid not counting a surgery Mel had to have earlier this year which helped with the deductible etcetera.
Well we went to an appointment today that consisted of a blood test and ultrasound same exact thing that we did with the IUI and we paid 0.00 because insurance covers it @ 100%. Well this time there was a 40.00 charge I question as to why there is a 40.00 charge. The answer because they put an office visit on the bill. Ok well I understand if we see a doctor and sit in the office or ask a tin of questions that there could be an office charge.
I'd accept this with no issues. But there is nothing different from this visit to the IUI. With the IUI they did the ultra sound the and blood work, the doctor reviews the information and says increase dose, reduce dose, keep same dose etcetera. The Ultrasound nurse calls and relays whatever the doctor said.
Well the exact same thing is going to happen today, the only difference will be that the ART nurses will call. (Nurses that deal with only people doing IVF). So I call the billing lady and ask "Why the extra charge for an office visit when this is the exact same procedure as the IUI?" She says that its because the doctor reviews the results of the test. I reply with that is the exact same thing they did with the IUI. My final answer was this is what we do for patients that have insurance.
Hummmmmm. So I get charged more because I pay out of my pocket less............
Explain this to me please!
Oh and this is going to happen at least 2 more times possibly many more.....
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The bill
I find it amazing how two opposing views cause so much fighting. I disagree with giving anyone anything long term that one can work for and provide themselves, others believe that certain things should not be an individuals responsibility and should be given to them. There nothing wrong with either view except the view that it has to be one way or the other. In my opinion the more that is given to you the more you rely on the person giving. This gives them (the giver) more control. Now the same can be said when you give your money to a corporation, the only difference in my opinion is I can give someone else that money, if it becomes my government that I'm giving the money to what can I do (quickly) if I don't like what or how they are spending it?
Where government should step in is to make sure those corporations are treating everyone the same and create basic guidelines on what should be offered to the people. Personally I believe part of today's bill does some of that, but a larger part of the bills makes me do something I may not want to. With the items that are going on in my life today and the way the bill currently is, not a lot is going to change. From the looks of it I will have less in the elective coverage because I have whats considered a "Cadillac" plan. So for the same amount of money the company I have will likely drop a lot of the optional coverage because more of that money will be going to pay for others lower end plans. From the amount that is coming out of my pocket to pay for it I don't think its a high end plan, I feel as though I'm paying for it and at this time in my life and the issues we are going through it's worth every penny (and I don't have many pennies left).
Now there are other people in my family and friends that don't have any insurance because there job does not offer it. Part of the bill I like is that it will make employers get insurance or pay a fine for each of their employees. The issue I see with this is I think they are missing the reason why companies don't offer insurance. Cost is why they don't offer it, I certainly don't think the majority of companies are so greedy that they don't. Addressing cost is key. Large business picked up insurance as a way to lure more employees if the cost was affordable so would smaller companies.
The solution to this would be lets lower the overall cost of health care by 1. setting a cap on the amount a lawyer can make of the case of an individual (they currently make a percentage in most cases and most of our house and senate were what?) 2.Medicaid and medicare pay a set amount for each procedure, why? If the government pays a set amount and that amount doesn't either cover the cost or is more than most would charge whats going to happen. A. they are going to pass the extra cost onto others or B they are going to charge everyone more based on that price.
[Tangent: Just like the current issue in Florida with Home owners insurance you can't stop competition, competition lowers cost. If the (in my opinion) corrupt government official who was supposedly taking large sums of money from the insurance companies didn't stop the rule that prevented home owners insurance companies to sell under a separate company in Florida our insurance rates would not be as high as they are today. End of tangent]
Also there should be serious benefits for not for profit hospitals and Dr's at least in the short term. This would show how much the costs should really be and give you competition and a shopping option.
[Tangent: The equipment Dr's use are extremely costly no doubt but 600 - 3,000 dollars for each cat scan is crazy. If your doing just 10 a day 1,560,000 - 7,800,000 a year. From what I can see they are likely doing more than 10 a day. Cost of an average cat scan machine from 200,000 - 500,000. Now I'm pretty sure they don't replace those machines every year and I'm sure there is some kind of maintenance cost to it plus labor for the techs who get paid ok. On the low end fee and the high end machine that's 1,060,000 profit if you were to buy a machine each year. Retail store generally charge 50 -100% markup on every item so if they were buying a new 500,000 dollar machine each year this would be justified. end tangent]
Bottom line I feel and what I should of just said to begin with is I believe heath care reform is needed. I do not believe they are going about it the right way and depending on which polls you chose to believe neither do the majority of the American people. I believe the solution is to give people more choice by having government only stick a toe into it not jump in with both hands. I guess we will see where this goes I hope that it doesn't make thing worse and opens a door for real non single dependent change.
Where government should step in is to make sure those corporations are treating everyone the same and create basic guidelines on what should be offered to the people. Personally I believe part of today's bill does some of that, but a larger part of the bills makes me do something I may not want to. With the items that are going on in my life today and the way the bill currently is, not a lot is going to change. From the looks of it I will have less in the elective coverage because I have whats considered a "Cadillac" plan. So for the same amount of money the company I have will likely drop a lot of the optional coverage because more of that money will be going to pay for others lower end plans. From the amount that is coming out of my pocket to pay for it I don't think its a high end plan, I feel as though I'm paying for it and at this time in my life and the issues we are going through it's worth every penny (and I don't have many pennies left).
Now there are other people in my family and friends that don't have any insurance because there job does not offer it. Part of the bill I like is that it will make employers get insurance or pay a fine for each of their employees. The issue I see with this is I think they are missing the reason why companies don't offer insurance. Cost is why they don't offer it, I certainly don't think the majority of companies are so greedy that they don't. Addressing cost is key. Large business picked up insurance as a way to lure more employees if the cost was affordable so would smaller companies.
The solution to this would be lets lower the overall cost of health care by 1. setting a cap on the amount a lawyer can make of the case of an individual (they currently make a percentage in most cases and most of our house and senate were what?) 2.Medicaid and medicare pay a set amount for each procedure, why? If the government pays a set amount and that amount doesn't either cover the cost or is more than most would charge whats going to happen. A. they are going to pass the extra cost onto others or B they are going to charge everyone more based on that price.
[Tangent: Just like the current issue in Florida with Home owners insurance you can't stop competition, competition lowers cost. If the (in my opinion) corrupt government official who was supposedly taking large sums of money from the insurance companies didn't stop the rule that prevented home owners insurance companies to sell under a separate company in Florida our insurance rates would not be as high as they are today. End of tangent]
Also there should be serious benefits for not for profit hospitals and Dr's at least in the short term. This would show how much the costs should really be and give you competition and a shopping option.
[Tangent: The equipment Dr's use are extremely costly no doubt but 600 - 3,000 dollars for each cat scan is crazy. If your doing just 10 a day 1,560,000 - 7,800,000 a year. From what I can see they are likely doing more than 10 a day. Cost of an average cat scan machine from 200,000 - 500,000. Now I'm pretty sure they don't replace those machines every year and I'm sure there is some kind of maintenance cost to it plus labor for the techs who get paid ok. On the low end fee and the high end machine that's 1,060,000 profit if you were to buy a machine each year. Retail store generally charge 50 -100% markup on every item so if they were buying a new 500,000 dollar machine each year this would be justified. end tangent]
Bottom line I feel and what I should of just said to begin with is I believe heath care reform is needed. I do not believe they are going about it the right way and depending on which polls you chose to believe neither do the majority of the American people. I believe the solution is to give people more choice by having government only stick a toe into it not jump in with both hands. I guess we will see where this goes I hope that it doesn't make thing worse and opens a door for real non single dependent change.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
So young so skinny....
I love looking at older pictures in this case from 2002, almost 8 years ago. I find it like looking at old technology but in reverse. With the technology you go man those cell phones were so big and heavy. They couldn't do much and were real slow. Where as when you look at an old picture your like wow I could run so much faster, was so much skinnier, and looked so much better. Oh well hopefully many more years to go and in another 20 years I'll be doing the same with pictures from today. Sorry to all of you who right now are going, "you think your old, wait till you get to my age". No worries its my plan.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Amazing
Amazing. People are absolutely amazing. What can one person do with a block of time some determination and an idea? The answer, Anything. Take this little picture to the side of this post. Is it the best Dachshund cake ever? Yes it is. Why? Well besides the fact that my sister made it, it shows one way people can be amazing. Just joking around (after a previous birthday cake in the shape of a pyramid) I said I wanted a cake with the Sistine chapel on it. Did I really? No way, but it was funny to say. So what do Melissa and I get, a cake with our dog on it. Great, Awesome, superb. Just goes to show with a block of time an idea and some initiative anything can be done. I work 12 hour shifts Sundays being an extremely slow day 90% of the time, today I started a project I have until the end of February to complete, well with no distractions I'm already 75% done. Just some documentation and testing to do. Should have all that done next Sunday baring no major issues. I just find it amazing that with few distraction and a fairly set goal what can be accomplished. There was no bribery or back stabbing, or even constant talking done here just work. Thought I'd share.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Brain on fire
Monday, January 4, 2010
Melissa
Melissa has started staying at home and is no longer working at a place that sends a check, so she has taken up a few additional duties as a full time domestic. She is learning how to cook a variety of things and is actually doing better than I thought these first few meals would be. Considering I've done 98% of all the cooking since we have lived together she is doing superb. The house for the most part is shiny minus a span of a dryer breaking down and cloths were getting scarce. Not her fault dryer was bound to break. Now that its up and running. The only real downside is the power bill just went up. Don't know if I can blame her for that or this global warning.... Either way glad to have her at home most of the time. Your doing well babe.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Wander
We wander around life just looking
Hoping to find something nice
We run into bad
We run into good
We are never satisfied with just nice.
Hoping to find something nice
We run into bad
We run into good
We are never satisfied with just nice.
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