Pharmaceutical companies and old people.

Today I was in CVS behind an older man--probably late 70's--who was trying to fill a prescription for eye drops and the clerk ran his insurance through and then came back and told him the prescription company was delaying paying for the medicine until they got a report from the doctor.  If he needed it, he would have to pay full price--$232--and IF the prescription company approved it, he would be refunded most of that.  And that could take up to 14 days.  So he tried to use his credit card and it was declined.  And then he wrote a check, saying the $232 was HALF of his Social Security.  The clerk did suggest he call his doctor to see if he could get samples and he told her the doctor was out of the office.  So I have a few observations:

1.  How does any company justify $232 for eyedrops?   I mean the drug company or CVS.

2.  Why does the doctor write a prescription that is going to cost $232?

3.  Where is this stupid Obamacare now?   It was certainly not helping this man.

4. People need to be able to tell people where to get help if they need it.  I felt inadequate.  I wish I had an extra $232.  I wish I knew if he could have gotten it cheaper and how.  I wish one of these pharmacy clerks had a magic answer as how to get it cheaper but since they can't make change for a dollar I doubt that is going to happen.  I wish the pharmacist had suggested something over the counter that would have lasted til Monday.  I wish, wish, wish.

5.  Who the heck is this prescription company to question something a DOCTOR thinks this man needed?  They don't question when they get their premium but when it comes time to pay out they don't call the doctor, they in effect call their lawyers to see how they can NOT pay.

6.  What beyond this $232 did this cost that man today?  His pride possibly, having his card declined in front of me.  I wasn't eavesdropping...I was behind him and they were talking loudly.  And I have to wonder if he has gas in his car and groceries in his house.  And if he had $232 in his bank account.

What the hell...at least he has gold in his eyes!!

The Storyteller

I have discovered a new author.  Jodi Picoult, who has been around forever but I'd never read one of her books before.  At Costco last week I picked up her book 'The Storyteller'.  The notes on the back of the book made it look interesting but I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  The book is about a loner who befriends an older customer at her store and he asks her for a favor.  And the snowball begins!   The book is actually several stories in one...modern day...Germany in the 1930's, the Holocaust in the 40's and a bonus fiction story written by the storyteller.  I have to say the Holocaust part of the book was overwhelming.  How anyone could say it never happened is beyond me.  There were actually a couple of places where I cried and that is not something I do a lot of on any level and especially not at a book!

The writer is very talented and the story was very compelling.  I do have to say that I was exhausted when I finished it and will have to read some sappy romance thing next to clear my mind.  I have, for some reason this year, read a couple of books about the Holocaust and am not sure when I'll be able to handle another.  I'm not even sure I can handle another Jodi Picoult for awhile either.  But I'll be back, no doubt.

Appliances

I have to say Lowe’s is making me laugh, in a kinda scary way.

I ordered new appliances from them…a refrigerator, a stove, a dishwasher and a microwave.  Last week I received 2 calls one day, one to tell me the stove was there, the other to tell me the dishwasher was in.  I verified all appliances are here and would be delivered tomorrow, Saturday April 5.  I was assured they were.

I called this morning to verify myself and was told I am on the schedule.  Then later this morning, a person from the millworks department called to tell me my French doors were in and ready to be picked up.  I had not ordered French doors.  Then we figured out it was my French door refrigerator!    And verified yet again that it would be delivered tomorrow.

Five minutes ago, I got a call from a guy telling me my microwave was here and he wanted to verify I would be there tomorrow for delivery.  I told him about the other appliances and he said oh, more than one page.

Will I have appliances tomorrow?  Not sure.

Here is an addendum...Even though I published today, I wrote this on Friday.  All appliances were delivered yesterday.  They boxes say it's what I ordered.  We will see whey they are unboxed and installed.

Creepy?

I just saw a picture on Pinterest that showed 2 men who had been released from a Japanese prison camp in 1945 and both were skin and bones.  The board this person pinned it on?  ‘Creepy’.    Really? That is your first impression?  Not heartbroken?  Not heroes?  Not man’s inhumanity to man?  Creepy is the friggen best you can do?

Does she not wonder where they came from and if they’re still alive or if they ever got over being starved and beaten by animals?  Doesn’t she want to know what they became and if they had families and lives?  Doesn’t she want to know what made them survive when so many others didn’t?  There is no way that this experience affected everything in their lives for the rest of their lives and the best this person could come up with is creepy?

 Geez.

Goodbye vacation. Hello kitchen

So I bought this new house.

The house needed a little love.  I got what I think was a good deal on it.  I probably didn’t but it’s what I want to think so there.  And it had some issues right off.  First all, it’s 12 years or so old and I doubt it had ever, ever been cleaned.  It certainly did not appear that it ever had.  Filthy.  And frankly, it was pretty hard to tell flaws because it was hard to see beneath the dirt.  So now it’s mostly clean and it still has a few issues.

It mismatched carpet in the bedrooms that needs to be replaced.  And it has tile everywhere else.  So first order of business…new carpet.  They measured 110 yards so there is $3100.  A little higher than I expected but doable.

Next, the paint job is horrible.  Semi-gloss paint throughout most of the house.  Who does that?  One nice red wall.  Everything else, not good.  Once the cabinets were clean they don’t look horrible…where there is a problem is a gouge…but the rest looks pretty good.  They will be good for awhile.  But the rest of the house needs to be painted. 

It needs a storm door and a pocket door going into the laundry room and a new potty in the back bath.  Not too bad.

And the countertops in the kitchen are not horrible but my contractor told me he thought we could do granite countertops all within my budget so I got my hopes up.  And a shiny backsplash, which I love.  So I’m ready to go full speed ahead.

Then the estimate came….under budget…except for the countertops and backsplash and paint throughout the house.  That is another big chunk of change.  So the dilemma begins.  I have some savings that I can use but that is just that …savings and then vacation money.  So what to do…have the kitchen I’ve always dreamed of or keep the $$ in the bank.  The kitchen is the first thing you see when you walk in.  And I love a pretty kitchen.  And the extra $$ is just a bit of savings.  And it will be something I will love for a long time.  And I can’t take the money with me!  And my pension goes into savings and in 4 months it will be replaced.   But it certainly means no cruise this year. 

So my decision seems to be made.  Goodbye vacati