I was full-time media manager and on the organising committee of an event called Targa Tasmania. The event was owned by John Large, who was my boss. John was very high up in the FIA, and in fact sat on the protest committee that dealt with Senna in one of his misdemeanours.

Senna died during the running of one of the Targas, and I had to go knock on John's hotel room door very early in the morning to let him know. Hours were spent by John on the phone to Paris that day.

I did stand within arm's length of Senna after the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. It was at the post-event media barbecue. IIRC, he was intent watching an F1 event on the big screen there. Just a normal guy, except for the race suit and jacket, I suppose.

I think anyone and everyone who has made it "big" in their chosen field has to be flawed.

Victorious? I was watching that series, here and there.

Cold leftovers for breakfast. Yum.

Need a bit of healthcare advice. My health benefits from the old job expired on my last day there, so a week and a half ago. I had a high deductible plan with an HSA. My new benefits kick in on the 1st.

After my wreck on Sunday I went to urgent care for stitches and wound cleaning. I'm assuming the bill for this would be in the $200 range.

I should just pay for this out of pocket without paying for COBRA, right? My old plan had a high deductible anyway, and from what I understand cobra is very pricey. Any downsides to doing this?

Be careful. Sometimes places overcharge by a factor of 5 or 10, and then "accept" whatever insurance/medicare covers. So I would verify how much the cost is before you decide. If the charges are outrageous, you may want to reconsider.

Well that's a way to start off on the right foot. :rolleyes: So, this - how did you put it? - "incestuous conclave" has a forgiving nature, so let's just chill, yeah?

I would assume, if it were me, that even if the urgent care bill were >$200, it would still be less than having to buy into COBRA for the 8 days that are left until your new plan kicks in. Your wreck didn't sound like it included anything that would require a law suit. If it were me, I'd pay out of pocket.

Though I would be interested enough, I suppose, to find out exactly how much COBRA would cost.

Should he also discuss the form of payment with them? I was under the impression that letting them know that you'll be paying out of pocket is likely to impact the bill quite favorably.

I wonder if we should ask scarbo to go wax philosophical in that ultralight wheels thread... :innocent:

Possibly. I would ask for the bill first, and if it seems the prices are inflated then negotiate.

Since it's urgent care, I suspect the charges will be reasonable. If it were a hospital emergency room, then I would be more concerned about inflated charges. It's one of many "dirty secrets" of our healthcare system, the difference between hospital "charges" and what they end up accepting as payment from insurance/medicare.

Okay, cool - I'll just wipe the rotors, when I'm cleaning the drivetrain today, and see how they are on the ride tomorrow.

Oh, and I found out that the wife is taking the rest of the week off, after today. I wonder if this means that I can make up for my lack of ride time during the last week's cold and wet weather. :D

"Hey honey - I know that you took some time off to get some things done, so how's about youse watch the baby while I go on a 5-hour ride?" Should go over well.

I would be shocked if the undiscounted bill were not close to $1,000. First you need to determine if you can get the bill discounted to the insurance rate scale. I'm sorry, but you should not have left yourself unprotected even for one second. I can't say that COBRA won't retroactively cover your injury, but I am highly doubtful.

Hmmm...:foo:

Who is not in on that secret? It's noted on the explanation of benefits.

Back in 2012 I crashed and had to go to an E.R. in Jersey. I didn't have my insurance card. Got a hospital bill for over $12K, which did not include the physician's bill. Turns out he didn't have a contract with my insurance carrier. Under my plan, when that happens my carrier pays me what they would have paid the doc had he been under contract. IIRC, that was about $230. The doc bill was something like $1,000, so I had to pay the difference.

I'd be shocked if an urgent care bill were for more than $800 for this. And this is coming from someone who did not have healthcare benefits for several years and had a broken leg during that time. Including a visit to an orthopedic specialist, my total bill for 8 weeks of issues was less than $1800, IIRC.

It will if he elects within the time provided by law.

I wondered about that. Whether he could get coverage going forward as long as he elected within the allotted period or fully retroactive.

They don't want people to be put on the spot regarding the decision to go with COBRAS or not so you have a time period. If you do elect it, it covers you retroactively to the end of your employment and going forward.

stronger everrryyy ride. faster on this one by far than even last week. something is happening...

also, fell in love with a BMC road machine I saw out there. Mmm that orange fire red color...

Pretty sure they charge you $200 for filling out the admission form.

Avg. Speed this morning: 20.0 mph. :D

Only sometimes?

The Stelvio really is beautiful.