You Tube Rant

[CJ5Dave]

I have a streaming subscription for Utube. Less or no ads on TV. On computer, I get all the ads.

 

[MikeWi]

A different thread here recommended the Brave browser to get rid of the ads. It's been working great for me, and all around better than Chrome IMHO.

 

[higgite]

I finally gave up on the Youtube vs adblocker wars and subscribed. It did wonders for my blood pressure and my enjoyment of YT. Convenience is worth something. If Youtube had not spoiled us by being free for so long, nobody would be *****in' about paying for it. There is another alternative....... don't watch it.

Tom

 

[wnchstrtnfldvlle]

I had the same issue with one of my meds Eloquis. An anticoagulant that I MUST take twice a day or else have a stroke. CVS is my pharmacy and I hate them but my insurance told me that if I didn't use CVS my co-pay would almost double. About 2 years ago my PCP quit and I was assigned another one. My prescription was on hold because they said I had to make an appointment with my PCP to get it refilled. So I was on a 90 day waiting list to get in to the doctor. I called my Cardiologist and they gave me enough samples to get me by until I could get in to see my PCP. Its a shell game. My cardiologist is the one insisting I take Eloquis and I have an on going exam every 6 months from him. But guess what It is illegal for a Cardiologist to treat a person that is not refered by a PCP. 10 years ago I was hospitalized with a pretty severe heart attack. The hospital assigned a PCP to me. (they worked for the hospital of course) The pcp came into my room the first time and said he was letting the Cardiologist call the shots because I was "Pretty Sick" after 6 days in the hospital I left with a bill of $112,000. Then about a month later I got a bill from the PCP they had assigned to me for around $1250. $1250 for sticking his head in the door and saying "You are Pretty Sick" BTW my co-pay for Eliquis in January is in excess of $700 for 90 day supply and $100 a month every month the rest of the year. i can understand consumers getting provoked. I am too old and sick to let myself get angry. With my bad heart Anger is not something I get to enjoy anymore.

I'll try to give a little insight to your situation. In no way am I saying it's okay, but I just wanted to respond.
1. The insurance companies have "preferred" pharmacies, that they have worked out some sort of deal that steers their subscribers that way. All of them do it to a certain extent. Most are pushing for the mail-order pharmacies.
2. The waiting list to see the new pcp is an unfortunate byproduct of less and less interest in the medical profession as a whole (My own observation). But no doctor is going to prescribe medication to a patient they have never seen.
3. It isn't "illegal" for the cardiologist to see you without a primary care referral. Your individual plan may require referrals. I know it can be frustrating, but this is caused by rampant overuse of benefits over the years by doctors and patients. it's the insurance plan's way of making sure you "need" the cardiologist, to keep total patient costs down. If you're barely seeing the cardiologist, consider seeing if your pcp is willing to prescribe and monitor it.
4. As far as the excessive 112,000 bill, I will assume that was the actual bill and not an explanation of benefits. That's why the No Surprises Act was enacted in 2022. It's meant to prevent those crazy bills where you are seen at an in-network facility but treated by an out-of-network doctor. You have to be given prior warning by the hospital that you are going to be treated by a provider that may be out of network with your insurance. Now most of them probably put it in the small print when you fill out your forms, so you or your loved ones have to be diligent.
5. For your Eliquis co-pay, I would have to know more about your specific prescription plan, but generally speaking... If your copay is that high, your insurance may cover the generic Apixban at a cheaper cost. Or, they should have a cheaper covered alternative. Like Pradaxa, Xarelto, or Warfarin. You also mentioned using CVS, are you using a local brick and mortar CVS? A lot of plans now want you to send it to CVS Caremark mail-order. A lot of times there is no copay, or a much cheaper one. You may also have a deductible for prescriptions built into the plan as a way of keeping the monthly costs down. It may be to your benefit to look at a slightly higher plan that would end up being cheaper in the long run when you factor in prescription costs.

Just some thoughts.

 

[ltlvt]

Give your Dr. a bad rating on Google. A friend had a similar problem. Could not get office to renew her online monitors. A few days later it came in the mail.

That's not such a great idea. Why get black listed? Doctors do have the option to refuse patients or to continue service. My origional PCP has a rule if you don't see them for 5 years then they drop you and then tell you they are not taking any new patients. So you get penalized for being healthy and for NOT being healthy. What a fantastic scam.

 

[wnchstrtnfldvlle]

Not a rant but had a wake up call today . I need supplies shipped monthly for my medical issues . I placed an order 10 days ago with my regular supplier but never received the supplies . I get a phone call from them today saying I need a new script from my doctor before they'll ship my order and all future orders . This is not a medical issue that is going to correct itself , rather a life long issue . So , call the doc's office to get a script and now have to schedule an appointment per the registering office . Next available appointment was Feb. 26th . If I run out of bags before then , I plan on driving up to their place every day and sitting in the waiting room pissing on their floor . WTH is going on in this world ?

A question for you at the risk of derailing the original rant.

Do you regularly see the primary care doctor? I'm assuming you're talking about supplies for a catheter, but they require signed orders to continue shipping the supplies. Along with the order, they require "documentation" showing the need. That usually means a face-to-face encounter within the last 90-days, with a specific narrative that shows they're needed. So, when you called the pcp if you didn't have a recent visit, they would have to get you in for the face to face. Even if you did have a recent visit, if the need for supplies wasn't documented and the note was already completed and signed, they may not be able to amend it in their system. Which is a big reason why we are changing systems. So, we can go in and amend notes.

 

[wnchstrtnfldvlle]

That's not such a great idea. Why get black listed? Doctors do have the option to refuse patients or to continue service. My origional PCP has a rule if you don't see them for 5 years then they drop you and then tell you they are not taking any new patients. So you get penalized for being healthy and for NOT being healthy. What a fantastic scam.

I manage a family practice office, and a bad rating will 100% get you somewhere if they are trying to keep a good reputation. If you do have a doctor that refuses you service, you also have the option to contact your insurance company and notify them that you were told they aren't accepting new patients. They may investigate, and if they find out that office was in the wrong, they could get in trouble or even get dropped from that carrier altogether. Doctors have to update their provider profiles with the payors on a routine basis, and part of that is saying whether you are accepting new patients or not. So, if they answer yes, then deny you, that may get them in some trouble. lol

 

[ltlvt]

I finally gave up on the Youtube vs adblocker wars and subscribed. It did wonders for my blood pressure and my enjoyment of YT. Convenience is worth something. If Youtube had not spoiled us by being free for so long, nobody would be *****in' about paying for it. There is another alternative....... don't watch it.

Tom

I had the paid subscription for 1 year. Never knew the adds were so bad until I didn't renew it. Seems to me they are trying to force viewers to buy the annual subscription. And being forced is something I refuse to do. My original concern is what it is doing to the Creators. I am perfectly capable of clicking on skip or not watching but why should the creators be penalized because of Google Greed. I was in Business until 2012 and due to health reasons shut the business down. I had a Google add guarantying that if anyone needed a Tow Truck I would always be the first to pop up online search in my area. They fail to mention they tell all the other tow companies the same thing . What a waste of my money and scam. I told them in 2012 I was no longer in business but continue to get calls trying to get me to renew the ad.

 

[bulgie]

I use the Brave browser on a Windows PC, and don't see any ads on YT. I don't pay for a YT subscription, so I guess I am cheating. Someday YT will figure out how to defeat whatever Brave is doing, but so far so good.

 

[CJ5Dave]

Why is it a bad ide to give a doctors office that is not giving you proper service to your medical needs a bad rating? what are you losing? More bad service? My primary care DR. sends me an email after every visit to rate them. I never do but should. They are pitiful.