I am determined not to be late for my doctor's appointment. I even left time to scrape the frost from the car windows and warm the car before heading out. Last night I made sure the gas tank was full. Traffic is not bad despite the brilliant sun blinding us over every rise and around every corner. East is not the ideal direction to be heading at 7 AM these days.
Five minutes before my appointment, I park at Clinton Crossings and make my way to the second floor - using the stairs, thank you very much! I check in and am called right back. They are so punctual here. I love it. Usually, I dread the taking of vitals. Those automatic blood pressure cuffs squeeze my arms so tightly my fingers turn purple. Here, they take your blood pressure manually and it is not painful. How kind.
Surprise! My blood pressure is an amazing 120 over 70 - the best it has been in some long time. I rack my brain to identify a reason. Hey - maybe I am just getting better! Overall the exam was encouraging. We are checking levels to see if there is something that can be done about the tiredness, but otherwise, her suggestion is that I get back to exercising on a regular basis, and something more than just walking the dog. That and lose a bit more weight.
How nice to have a positive report for a change!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Benefits Ups and Downs
Oy. What a nightmare. I worked with the HR rep to figure out how to deal with this new health insurance scenario. We thought we had a plan. I would try to enroll Kiel and Drew in Healthy NY and drop down to the single person plan here. That way the amounts are half what the family plan demands.
I called their hotline number only to discover that it had been disconnected. After a bit of web scrolling, I located another number and called. They recommended that Kiel do Healthy NY and Drew apply for Child Health Plus. Sounded like this would work. But, alas! For Kiel to be on Healthy NY, he would have to pay $240 a month and there is a $3000 annual limit for prescriptions. His prescription is $2000 a month. And his paycheck would barely cover the monthly premium. That would be $2880 a year for just Kiel and he could not get the prescription that he needs. So that's out. He will have to find a solution before he turns 26 though.
As for the Drew part, I can apply, but they can't guarantee that he will be accepted AND he has to be off my insurance totally before they can take him. That's too risky. What if I take him off my insurance and they don't approve him? I could not get a straight answer about whether he would be eligible even though I have insurance through my work. They say you must have no options, not that you just can't afford the plans offered. No, I am stuck. I have to stay on the family plan for at least the first year.
Which means coming up with $2600 in January and an additional $3400 in February as Kiel's prescriptions hit and my chemo happens. Goodness. HR thought I could do it through my flex spending account, but it turns out I can only use that money for dental and vision. That won't work. The only other option is that they will give me loans as my needs arise, and I can do a payroll deduction to pay them back. I am grateful for this option. Still, now I wonder if I will have to find a less expensive apartment to be able to afford rent! Tough being the sole income for a household.
Well, God has always provided, and I see no reason why He will stop now. It will be an interesting year, that's for sure.
I called their hotline number only to discover that it had been disconnected. After a bit of web scrolling, I located another number and called. They recommended that Kiel do Healthy NY and Drew apply for Child Health Plus. Sounded like this would work. But, alas! For Kiel to be on Healthy NY, he would have to pay $240 a month and there is a $3000 annual limit for prescriptions. His prescription is $2000 a month. And his paycheck would barely cover the monthly premium. That would be $2880 a year for just Kiel and he could not get the prescription that he needs. So that's out. He will have to find a solution before he turns 26 though.
As for the Drew part, I can apply, but they can't guarantee that he will be accepted AND he has to be off my insurance totally before they can take him. That's too risky. What if I take him off my insurance and they don't approve him? I could not get a straight answer about whether he would be eligible even though I have insurance through my work. They say you must have no options, not that you just can't afford the plans offered. No, I am stuck. I have to stay on the family plan for at least the first year.
Which means coming up with $2600 in January and an additional $3400 in February as Kiel's prescriptions hit and my chemo happens. Goodness. HR thought I could do it through my flex spending account, but it turns out I can only use that money for dental and vision. That won't work. The only other option is that they will give me loans as my needs arise, and I can do a payroll deduction to pay them back. I am grateful for this option. Still, now I wonder if I will have to find a less expensive apartment to be able to afford rent! Tough being the sole income for a household.
Well, God has always provided, and I see no reason why He will stop now. It will be an interesting year, that's for sure.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Lasagna Dinner
The sign up sheet hung on the refrigerator door in the staff break room for a couple of weeks. When I signed up to bring 2 lasagnas, there were already many signatures of my colleagues, and for more than just lasagna - for fresh Italian bread, cookies, salad fixings and all the trimmings a hungry student could want. I always bring one vegetable in cheese sauce (no tomato sauce) and one chicken lasagna, just to be different - also with cheese, no tomato sauce.
It is a bit of a hoop jumper to figure out how to get them cooked in time and still bring them piping hot out of the oven at 5 PM when the students arrive. Somehow, it works out. There is something fulfilling about wrapping the hot trays in towels and tucking them safely on the floor in the back seat of the car, gingerly navigating the 5 miles to the library from my searing oven, backing up to the loading dock, lifting them with oven mitted hands from my car to the mailroom area, the carting them upstairs to the Fireside Reading Room where tables are set and the buffet is redolent with wonderful homey smells of great food.
Students actually stay and chat, clustered around tables groaning with food. A few fill a take out box and run to class, but mostly they stay. It's the best part of the dinner - having an opportunity to converse and get to know people better. I am fascinated by the different majors, the career plans discussed, the family stories that are told, the whole interaction. This is my adopted family, and I am delighted to set aside an evening for connecting.
As a bonus, I didn't end up doing any of the cleanup. By the time I checked, everything was tidy and put away. How amazing is that!
It is a bit of a hoop jumper to figure out how to get them cooked in time and still bring them piping hot out of the oven at 5 PM when the students arrive. Somehow, it works out. There is something fulfilling about wrapping the hot trays in towels and tucking them safely on the floor in the back seat of the car, gingerly navigating the 5 miles to the library from my searing oven, backing up to the loading dock, lifting them with oven mitted hands from my car to the mailroom area, the carting them upstairs to the Fireside Reading Room where tables are set and the buffet is redolent with wonderful homey smells of great food.
Students actually stay and chat, clustered around tables groaning with food. A few fill a take out box and run to class, but mostly they stay. It's the best part of the dinner - having an opportunity to converse and get to know people better. I am fascinated by the different majors, the career plans discussed, the family stories that are told, the whole interaction. This is my adopted family, and I am delighted to set aside an evening for connecting.
As a bonus, I didn't end up doing any of the cleanup. By the time I checked, everything was tidy and put away. How amazing is that!
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