Archive for June, 2008
Are You a Buzzword?
Thursday, June 26th, 2008
I love wordplay. It seems that those of us with a few miles on our odometers have cruised the road of life long enough to have some words created just for us. I stumbled upon these buzzwords while reading the ParaHumor section of Your Publishing Poynters Newsletter by the iconic Dan Poynter.
Do any of these apply to you?
Are you a WOOF? That’s an acronym for Well-Off-Older Folks.
Maybe you’re Gray Matter. You are if you’re an older, experienced businessperson who is hired by a young entrepreneurial firm that is attempting to appear more professional and established.
Have you been uninstalled? That’s a euphemism for being fired.
We invite you to share any amusing or benign nicknames for those of us in the 50+ crowd by commenting on this blog.
Billing Blues
Thursday, June 19th, 2008 
It was a chapter straight out of my life.
"Billing Issue Leaves Patients Feeling Ill."
That was the headline in a May 17 article in the California section of the Los Angeles Times. Daniel Costello reported on the topic of balance billing, a practice whereby hospitals and doctors attempt to recover from patients the amount of medical bills not paid for by insurance. Costello’s article claimed that "balance billing is being used by a growing number of healthcare providers who say insurers are shortchanging them."
My story was similar to the one in the article. I was taken by ambulance to a hospital emergency room in my PPO network. I underwent a battery of tests followed by hospital admission and surgery. I paid a very large deductible. My private insurance paid the portion they deemed "allowed."
Almost 10 months after my hospitalization, I received a statement from one of the physicians who interpreted the results of tests performed in the emergency room. I sent him a photocopy of the Explanation of Benefits from my insurance carrier. The EOB explained that my insurance company bundled the doctor’s fee in with the amount they paid for the "primary procedure."
It’s my insurance company’s position that they have already paid the bill. There’s just one problem. Physicians are not hospital employees. They bill separately. Paying the hospital does not necessarily pay the doctor. Although my correspondence reads, "This is not a bill," the doctor’s billing office threatened to send the matter for collection. I met my deductible, paid thousands of dollars out of pocket, and am stuck in the middle between the doctor and the hospital based on the way the insurance company paid the claim.
Costello’s article referenced a 2006 survey by the Calif. Assn. of Health Plans which reported that "more than 1.75 million Californians who visited emergency rooms in the previous two years received $578 million in bills for services on top of deductibles and co-pays."
According to the article, the survey found that nearly 60% of the patients paid those bills. Were you one of those people? Did you pay those bills?
To read the entire Los Angeles Times article, see latimes.com. Click on the California/Local tab in the News column on the left of your screen. Then enter balance billing in the search bar.
May Newsletter
Friday, June 13th, 2008If you missed our May newsletter, you can read the archived version by clicking here.
Grow Your Own Tree
Thursday, June 12th, 2008 
It’s no secret. Despite all the media hype, the truth is that manifestation and the law of attraction have been around for a long time. It is also true that sometimes life’s teachers show up in unexpected places.
In the immensely entertaining memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert travels to Italy, India and Indonesia on a voyage of self-discovery in pursuit of pleasure, devotion and balance. Along the way, Gilbert shares a Zen Buddhist tale about the oak tree. As is often the case, the simple concept contains the kernel of profound truth.
According to Zen teaching, two forces interact to bring the oak tree to fruition. The first force is obvious. It is the acorn, the seed filled with the potential to germinate and become the mighty oak. Not as obvious, but equally powerful, is the unseen force of the future tree that is bursting with desire. Aching to live, the future oak pulls the acorn from the earth and wills the mature tree into existence.
How do you want to grow? What seeds are you aching to plant? What visions, dreams and miracles are germinating inside you?
Let Them Eat Cake
Thursday, June 5th, 2008 
I’m a sucker for tradition. On Christmas Eve, my sainted sister Paula makes a multi-course banquet reminiscent of the ones prepared lovingly by my Italian nonna. Every course is a homage to our beloved family members waiting for us on the other side.
At our love fest, we gorge ourselves on linguini and clam sauce, calamari and shrimp. And that’s just the beginning. I believe the original symbolism had something to do with seven kinds of fish representing the seven sacraments. My cousin Joe the priest could explain it all in detail, in at least three languages.
I also love to incorporate new traditions, which is, of course, an oxymoron. The traditions may be "new" to me, but they have been around for a long time. I rediscovered a worthy tradition while reading Eat, Pray, Love. I don’t want to give away much of this spellbinding memoir, so here’s a synopsis of the author’s noble plan.
To celebrate her birthday, Liz Gilbert asks her friends to contribute money to her special cause in lieu of buying gifts. The idea is to pool the funds and donate them to improve the quality of life for someone who is truly in need.
We have so much. We don’t need another trinket. For your next birthday, especially if it is a milestone birthday, why not use the celebration of your life to make a difference in the lives of others? Select your favorite charity and ask your friends to donate in your honor. Share your experience by commenting on this blog.
Don’t stop there. During the holidays, escape mall madness. When you buy fair trade gifts and foods at agreatergift.org, you promote hope and justice with every purchase. Teach your children and grandchildren compassion by introducing them to Heifer International. Empower them to help bring an end to world hunger. At heifer.org, they can make a meaningful gift and help children and families receive training and animal gifts, including heifers, sheep, goats, water buffalo and more.
Speaking of tradition, how about making a mid-year resolution? Resolve to make your birthday a celebration not just of your life, but of all life on Planet Earth. Inspire your guests to do something for the greater good.
Let them eat cake. Just skip the presents.