The Universe rears up its ugly head and reminds you that it can rain hell on you at any time.
In the last 24 hours the following has happened:
–> Geoff got a ticket despite the fact that he was parked in a legal (for Sunday) parking spot, on a Sunday. Cost: $75.
–> Geoff’s debit card was hacked and, despite the fact that we caught it literally instantly, we’re out over $500 until our awesome bank (USAA, we love them) are able to process the refund. We have 0$ liability and the card is cancelled, but we have a rent check that hasn’t been deposited yet that we currently can’t cover as a result of some wannabe black hat somewhere charging up crap at WalMart, Starbucks, and Target. Cost: $500 now, possible overdraft charge if we bounce a check.
–> I tried to renew some scrips with my insurance card that I got through Commonwealth Care on Saturday. There was no indication on the paperwork I received of when my care was supposed to start, though I had been told by the enrollment person that we were eligible for August 1st. I tried to fill two scrips at CVS only to find out that my new Commonwealth Care insurance, provided by Neighborhood Health Plan, was not valid until 9/1/12.
Why? Because despite the fact that I paid my premium on time (early, actually) they didn’t process it till 7/30/12 and 8/1/12. They processed my payment before they processed my enrollment and that fact makes perfect sense to them. In short, despite the fact that I paid before the July deadline for August 1, I have no real insurance till September.
Mass law allows you to go without health insurance for 2 consecutive months before you have to pay a tax penalty. Because they didn’t process me on time, I’ll be 3 consecutive months without Minimum Creditable Coverage and therefore I’ll owe either one month or three months of tax penalties come April next year, all because some idiot at Commonwealth Incompetence Care couldn’t figure out what to do with my enrollment.
I am temporarily covered by Health Safety Net, formerly called the Uncompenstated Care Pool. Depending on what you read that may meet Minimum Creditable Coverage standards for the state. So, depending on who I can get paperwork from, I might not have to pay the tax fine come April. Maybe. Cost: incredible amounts of stress, probably several hundred dollars to refill the scrips that I’m almost out of and desperately need, about 2 hours on the phone, and possibly several hundred more dollars come April, 2013.
In short, we’re tired, bruised, and feeling pretty screwed-over right now. The highlight of the day was the awesome help I got from Megan at CVS. You don’t normally think of huge national chains as being helpful, but she went way above and beyond to get me help with Health Safety Net, the only CVS in the area that participates in it, and by contacting my health insurance on my behalf to try and get it straightened out. Thanks, Megan.
~Kelly
The Books are Taking Over... 