Mini Rant

Thanksgiving Recap

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone this lovely first Wednesday of December? Things here are usual. We currently have two meetings (my annual and a nursing assessment to make sure I’m still cripple enough for my CLASS benefits) and Sophia’s yearly vet visit. Haven’t decided on Christmas plans yet. Anyway, I thought I would provide you with a Thanksgiving recap since there’s nothing much to ramble about.

It was a very nice day. Dad and I dressed up a bit because Texas de Brazil used to enforce a smart casual dress code. Not so much now, but most people still dressed up. Anyway, the only two negative things of the day happened early on. We got lost on the way to the restaurant because 635 is constantly under construction and the signage is horrible. Instead of ending up at our exit, we wound up in the Express lanes and couldn’t get off until Webb Chapel. It wasn’t a horrible detour, but I was trying to avoid tolls by taking the Parkway up to Beltline. Ah well. We arrived ten minutes early instead of twenty. This was followed by the next negative thing. Despite having reservations for 3:30, we were informed there would be a 45 minute wait. I didn’t really mind. It just meant I sat around people watching instead of sitting at home on the computer. But the fact that 45 minutes turned into an hour and 15 minutes was annoying. The manager didn’t bother making rounds to apologize while everyone was waiting. He only came around when people complained. They kept taking walk-ins even though they didn’t even have enough space for people with reservations. I know it would probably take away from income, but holidays should be reservation only if you’re that busy, or at least limit the number of walk-ins. Enforcing time limits is another option. According to the manager (who did show up to apologize as we were leaving), the whole wait time fiasco occurs every holiday they’re open. They should have a better way to prioritize reservations by now. Pre-covid, the wait time was 20 minutes at the outside on Thanksgiving with reservations. Figure out how to compensate for the changes. But we were eventually seated at that coveted table by the end of the bar right next to where all the waiters gather to tally orders and all that. Which wasn’t actually bad at all. Our waiter was absolutely fabulous. He was unsure of me at first, but once he figured out I could talk, he treated me like a person. He was attentive, but not overbearing. If we wanted something, he made sure we got it. The food was mostly delicious. The parmesan pork was disappointingly dry, but everything else was amazing as usual. I tried the passion fruit mousse for dessert. It was more of a yogurt than a mousse, but it still tasted good. I’ll think I’ll stick with crème brûlée in the future, though. The valet people were all very nice as well. We skipped the highway on the way home and took Beltline all the way. It was longer, but better than 635. And to top off a lovely day, our neighbor brought us some turkey and potatoes and rice and black beans and other yummy stuff.

That was our day. How was your Thanksgiving? As always, feel free to share your thoughts here or on my social media pages!

Another Rant

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are annoying, but fine. It’s late on Tuesday because I spent too much time on the phone with Medicaid. Again. Then, I avoided productivity in favor of watching TV with Dad. Shame on me, I know. I’m mostly just having trouble mustering up energy to do anything. I wake up tired. I stay tired despite having my usual amounts of caffeine. Sleep has been normal (just meh). Everything is just meh. Anyway, since I don’t have anything to ramble about, I thought I’d go on a rant. Don’t worry. Next week is the book review, so it’ll be a regular post.

I don’t remember if I’ve talked about it here, but Medicaid decided to force me to sign up for something called Star+Plus back at the end of May. I looked into it and everything I read said I couldn’t be on that program because I’m also on a program called CLASS, plus I’m on Medicare. So, I asked my CLASS case manager and she assured me I could be on Star+Plus, but not on the waiver program version of it. I took her at her word and didn’t think much about it.

Fast forward to July 1st when the program is supposed to activate. Some stuff has occurred that has me questioning things, so I do another search about Star+Plus. I find one super hidden thing that says people on CLASS can be on the program, but everything else says I’m not eligible for it. Add on the fact that I try to activate an online account with the insurance company that handles Star+Plus and keep getting told that I don’t exist, and I start getting antsy. Being the paranoid person I am, I contact Medicaid multiple times over the next week and a half to ask what’s going on and why my account isn’t working and how come they tried to put me on this program when I’m already on this other program, etc. For days, I get passed around to different departments and told conflicting things until someone finally escalates my case.

I feel like a Karen when I have to deal with the government and I’m not sorry about it. I’m always polite, though.

When someone finally calls at 8:30 in the morning, I don’t answer. I call back and get swapped around a couple of times until someone can tell me the woman who called just wanted me to know she was investigating my case and would call me when she knew more. Why she couldn’t just tell me that in the message, I don’t know. So, I wait and I check my YourTexasBenefits account every single day. On Thursday (Dad’s birthday), all mention of Star+Plus is removed from my account. Yay, right? I figure I’ll be getting a call that everything is straightened out and I’m back on traditional Medicaid.

Still hadn’t heard anything yesterday, so I called to get an update. I get passed around a couple of times because it’s the government and they refuse to give you a direct line to the department you need. But I end up on the phone with someone in the wrong department but who actually seems to know what she’s talking about. She confirmed I was right all along and that being on CLASS and Medicare precludes me from being on Star+Plus. Everything in her system indicates that I’m back on traditional Medicaid. She made a note that all mention of Star+Plus was removed from my YourTexasBenefits account. And she got in touch with the escalation unit for me. Supposedly, they’re still waiting for some kind of confirmation from Medicaid that I’m back on traditional Medicaid and that’s why they haven’t been in touch.

So, this has all been a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Because government. And I’m still waiting to officially be told I’m back on traditional Medicaid. Such fun. Ugh.