Blue Cookies

Yesterday I made up cookie dough and at the end decided to make the cookies turquoise for no good reason. Except, bonus. It's so much easier to ensure you are getting a good mix by adding in color. And cleanup is also way easier. Just make all the blue go away. So, I think, colored cookies are my new thing.

I haven't cut and baked them yet. They are currently turquoise slabs in the fridge.

Yesterday's long walk turned out to be a good one. Honestly I think having a place to go or a thing to do, makes the difference. Just walking for walking's sake bores me to tears and is really difficult for me. Maybe I just need a daily Daiso trip! ha.

Today is an afternoon baseball game. It's our fourth game in a row against Oakland. I predicted that they would beat the crap out of us. I was so wrong. We won the first three. I can't believe we will win today but I would be the last person on the earth whose baseball prediction should be listened to.

I finally got the bank accounts all switched and set up for everything I need (bill pay, etc.). I need to close out the old checking account and all will be done. It's a better spread. No more everything in one basket any more. One bank has better interest rate, another has better online tools, another has local branches and my spreadsheet keeps it all organized. Plus I got some stock market losses returned.

I think today is a trip to the pet food store. And cutting out and baking those cookies. There is lots of TV to watch and I'm catching up on my temperature blanket. August is nearly done and I have September mapped out up til yesterday. I have some other yarn projects going as well. So plenty to do while I watch all that TV.

Humana - i fought the law and i won... maybe

I got an email from Humana about changes to next year's coverage. It's an annual thing. But, I read it cause surprises in health insurance are rarely pleasant.

1st. good news. the eye doctor and lung doctor are going to cost me $30 a visit instead of $40. Ok. But then, I see there will be no drug deductible!!! That is not at all unpleasant.

Then I see COPD Inhaler Assistance Program. $10 a month for an inhaler.

This year, I cut myself back to 1 puff a day instead of the two prescribed. So my inhaler costs were $100 for the deductible and then $300 for 6 months. Then I it the Medicare donut hole where all drug coverage stops (it picks back up again in a few thousand dollars but by then...). That's why I cut my use in half. Because this inhaler without coverage is $400 a month. At full dose that would have cost me a total of $2100.

The assistance program would mean that instead of having half an inhaler for $400. I could have full inhaler for $120 total for the year. Even I sucked at math, which I do not, I can see that's a winner winner chicken dinner.

So I broke down and called Humana. You get a bot.

Bot: you can say anything, why are you calling
me: COPD Inhaler Assistance Program
Bot: you want help logging your medication?
me: Information about the COPD Inhaler Assistance Program
Bot: you want help finding a provider?
me: PERSON. Customer Service! Talk to a Person!

Note to self, bot probably is not set to react to volume.

Finally I got a person who, if they do not now live in the deep south of the united states, sure learned to talk there. I told her I wanted information about the COPD Inhaler Assistance Program.

Human: What information you can has about it?
me: I'd like to know how to sign up for it.
Human: [After a long silence] You have to call a different number. You want that number to call?
me: Yes please
Human: [After a long silence] Ok, I has number. I can tell you. When you are ready. You tell me.

It was painful.

I called the number and after two rings "Hi I'm Nicole, Humana pharmacy tech, How can I help you today?" Seriously, it was like Jeckel and Hyde of Humana.

Turns out I'm too close to the edge of the donut hole (not surprising) now but I should call back early in January and they'll sign me up. AND my current inhaler is on the list!!

I just checked my stash and I have enough to get me through January at two puffs a day. EXCELLENT!!!

Oh and, blue cookies taste just like non-blue cookies. They look weird because they have brown edges but the taste fine and dandy.