I made my annual pilgrimage to McCarthey Athletic Complex at Gonzaga University yesterday.
Things have changed where I pick up my posters.
What was once the ticket office is now serving as a "select your seat" window.
A gentleman in front of me had season tickets for Gonzaga women's basketball.
He wanted two seats near an aisle, and the nice young lady behind the window was able to accommodate him, even though she said the available seats are now limited.
Near the window stood a stand filled with Gonzaga athletic posters.
That was my reason for the pilgrimage, and since the posters were so close by, I took a chance that I had come to the right place.
Within two or three minutes, I gave a donation and walked out with a box of posters to distribute to friends and family here in Sandpoint.
It's always a good feeling to have those posters and even better when I deliver them personally.
Gonzaga has hit the big time, but the small town spirit and love for the team is as infectious as ever.
In just a couple of weeks, I'll be getting obnoxious again for a few months on the blog with my "Go, ZAGS! shout-outs on game days.
And, I'm sure the locals will be planning their ZAG get togethers.
It's a wonderful winter distraction, and we're excited to see this year's team hit the court. Within a couple of games, we'll have the names memorized and will be able to size up and determine our favorite players.
Folks in Sandpoint have to give an edge to Ben Gregg, not only because we see him on commercials but also because his aunt Tiffany is a Sandpoint High grad.
That said, we'll be loving each of the players for their contributions to what is almost always an entertaining team to watch.
For the past several years, Bill has had season tickets for the women's games, so he'll be making the trips into Spokane, and this year I may attend more women's games than usual, without the worries about evening chores.
In other news, the paving on our section of South Center Valley Road was completed yesterday.
We received a note in the mailbox from the carrier that it is now time to extend the mailbox frame further toward the road.
There's a pretty sharp drop-off from the pavement to the original surface, which should be eventually rectified when the county crews develop shoulders to the road.
*****
I also received an envelope in the mail from Humana, which provides insurance coverage for my pharmaceutical needs.
Upon opening the envelope, I discovered a blank sheet of paper with Humana's address at the top.
I turned it over, and the other side was blank.
A week ago after returning from our trip, I set out to get reimbursed nearly $400 for a prescription I needed before I left on our trip.
I ended up paying out of pocket because the drug wasn't available at Wal-Mart, which is where Humana requires that I get my prescriptions.
After being sent to another local pharmacy, I asked what could be done for reimbursement. I was given a Prior Authorization key to give to my medical provider.
I sent that to the provider and when I returned from my trip, I received a letter from Humana allowing me to get the drug.
Well, since I'd already paid for and taken the drug and had completed the prescription, this form didn't make a lot of sense to me.
Giving permission after the fact seems a little screwy especially when people are sick and need these drugs now, not when some company provides permission.
So, I called the company which has been providing my drug coverage for 12 years. As a side note, I have maybe used this insurance two or three times in that 12 years.
First, a man listened to my story where I said the permission slip was no longer necessary but that I would like to be reimbursed for the drug since it was not my fault that the only pharmacy they allow me to use did not have the drug.
He told me to wait a couple of minutes while he contacted the local pharmacy that did sell me the drug.
About 90 seconds into the wait, a lady took over, asking me why I had called. So, I explained the situation all over again and she wondered what kind of help I needed.
A reimbursement, I said to her at least a couple of times.
She asked for my email and then asked if the snail mail address they had for me was correct.
Yes, I said.
To which she told me that I would receive a reimbursement form in the mail in 5-7 work days. I was to fill it out, send it in, and then someone would decide if I could be reimbursed.
Okay, I said, still wondering to myself why she wanted my email address.
"Do you need any more help?" she asked.
"No," I said, "just the reimbursement."
So, yesterday's correspondence with the empty sheet of paper apparently serves as my promised reimbursement form.
I again called the company.
A nice lady apologized for the empty form and asked me a few questions and then told me she would send me another reimbursement form, which should arrive in 7-14 days.
"Last week they told me 5-7 days," I said.
She also told me that I did have the option of going online and providing the information electronically--something the previous "helper" had neglected to say.
So, she gave me the link.
At that point, I told her nicely that I felt the need to rant and that she should not take it personally.
"This all seems to defeat the purpose of having insurance when the person paying for the coverage has to go through all these hoops," I suggested, adding that I have paid the company a few thousand dollars over the years and have made minimal claims.
She said she would pass that along to a higher up and again apologized.
We said our good byes, and now, rather than waiting for the next 7-14 days and knowing that I may receive another blank sheet of paper, I have embarked on the online reimbursement form.
This morning I have started over on the form five times. It asks for stuff that the lay person would never know. It does not allow you to fill in the blanks for the pharmacy where you got the drug or the doctor who prescribed it.
Instead, you scroll through several spread sheets with names of local medical places but with no sign of the pharmacy.
I'm sure there's some box I haven't checked correctly to move on to the next segment, so I'll go back a sixth and maybe a seventh time and hopefully figure it out.
In the meantime, I stand by my claim that this process certainly defeats the purpose of faithfully paying one's insurance bill.
Rant over, at least for now.
I'll persevere and report any successes in this situation, if they happen.
Happy Friday.
Back to work on getting reimbursed.
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