So yeah, the guy from the other day called back. Not really something worthy of all the fretting. I’d subbed my info to a self-employed workers organization that offered health insurance to its members, and asked their insurance provider to contact me with details. I very carefully clicked the “only contact me through email” button, but apparently that’s only there for ornamental purposes. *snort* Insurance guy was all jolly and upbeat until I said “lupus” and then you could’ve heard the crash and burn.
Yep, I’m an automatic decline. Lovely.
Been reading the “A New Horror Subgenre: Health Insurance For the Self-Employed” article by Doranna Durgin in the last issue of the SFWA Bulletin. It’s depressing beyond depressing how many options for health insurance I don’t have.
Twelve weeks until my COBRA runs out. 
In lighter news, Hobkin is shedding like fuzz has gone out of fashion. There’s rolling drifts of white fluff tumbleweed billowing through our house. So yesterday after dinner, I got out the brush, waited for Hobkin to curl up beside me on the couch and start snoring, and then I went to work.
fosteronfilm helped collect the fuzzy detritus, and soon had a pretty impressive ball of shed fur next to him. And he sez: “You’re going to brush Hobkin until there’s nothing left, and then *poof*, he’ll be beside me instead.”
I giggled.
Didn’t manage to execute a feat of skunk-teleportation-via-brush, but Hobkin looks decidedly sleeker. I think he’ll be more comfortable now.
Writing Stuff
Pimpage:
You can now pre-order Aegri Somnia, both the trade paperback ($14.95) and the shiny, shiny limited edition hardcover ($29.95).
Release date: Early December 2006. The first 200 trade paperback and 50 hardback copies pre-ordered and purchased will be signed by the contributors, the cover artist, and the editor. (Oof, that’s 250 signature plates I’ll be scribbling on soon.)
Aegri Somnia contributors:
Cherie Priest (wicked_wish), Scott Nicholson, Steven Savile, Lavie Tidhar, Christopher Rowe, Mari Adkins, Rhonda Eudaly (reudaly), Angeline Hawkes (angelinehawkes), Nancy Fulda, Jennifer Pelland (jenwrites), Eugie Foster, and Bryn Sparks.
Also, Sages & Swords
From the publisher: “If you haven’t purchased your copy of Pitch-Black’s critically acclaimed heroic fantasy anthology Sages and Swords, you’d better hurry! The anthology will not be reprinted upon sell-through. There are currently very few copies available in-house and not many more in our distributor’s warehouse.
Sages and Swords includes 14 heroic fantasy stories from authors such as Tanith Lee, Eugie Foster, Howard Andrew Jones, Harold Lamb, and many others.”
New Words:
– 800 on the current freelance gig.
500/day
41
The signature sheets go by quickly! They really do. I’ve already had my turn. 😎 At least they’re not personalized… Sheesh. And the hard backs are going pretty fast. So Jason’s happy.
“The signature sheets go by quickly! They really do. I’ve already had my turn.“
Hee! I know, I saw the pictures.
“And the hard backs are going pretty fast.“
Yay!
Yeah, I know I sold two of them yesterday – but those are to family. And yeah, once you get into a rhythm, it’s quick, signing the sheets.
Sig sheets
Took about a half hour while talking w/Chris to sign the sig sheets. Was fun in a twisted, writer kind of way. The cover rawks, and I’m sure the book is going to sell out! Mucho attentiones so far!
Re: Sig sheets
You’ve had your turn too? Coolness. Wonder who the siggy sheets are with now . . .
And yay for Aegri Somnia buzz!
Re: Sig sheets
I sent them back to Jason, so I’m assuming they’ve been moved on since then…lol.
Re: Sig sheets
The sheets should be in New Zealand with Bryn Sparks. 🙂
Angeline went as far as to put a lipstick kiss beside her signature. Man, when word of that gets out, they’re going to fly off the shelves!
Jason Sizemore
Apex dude
By law, they *can’t* decline you for a preexisting conditions, although I think they may be able to limit what they pay for coverage for that condition for 12 months. You should make yourself an expert on that particular law. I don’t think this guy had any authority or any right to tell you you’d be automatically declined for a preexisting condition.
“By law, they *can’t* decline you for a preexisting conditions, although I think they may be able to limit what they pay for coverage for that condition for 12 months.“
Is that a state law or a federal? And is it regarding group coverage or individual? ‘Cause the insurance guys are giving every indication of being able to decline me.
“You should make yourself an expert on that particular law.“
*whimper* I know. I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around all the relevant-to-my-situation insurance laws, but the towering heap of caveats, legalize, contradictory information, and small print I’ve encountered is confounding me pretty effectively.
Here’s a pretty good link on the HIPAA law, which covers insurance and preexisting conditions.
http://info.insure.com/health/hipaa.html
It sounds like since you are on COBRA right now, there is no way you can be denied enrollment in either a group or an individual plan since you are elegible under HIPAA. However, if you’re shopping for an individual plan, the price could be extremely high. I don’t know where you’ve done your shopping, but if there are any group plans that you have access to, that’s the way to go. Our local chamber of commerce offers a group health plan, and that is available to any small business person or self-employed person, including writers. Will insurance people bullshit you, hoping you’ll go away and take your expensive chronic illness elsewhere? You betcha. I’ve seen insurance companies do shocking things to avoid paying claims or enrolling people they don’t want enrolled. They will make it sound like they know everything and you know nothing. I’m pretty sure most of them deny claims as a matter of policy, and only pay them when the insured person complains. If they don’t complain, it’s money in the bank. Good luck in your search. It must be very nerve-wracking.
Thanks so much for the HIPAA link. The information on that page is very comprehensive.
Yeah, I desperately want to maintain group coverage if I can. Next stop: Georgia’s Chamber of Commerce website.
This has to be like major-ookie karma smacking me for working for an insurance company for 11 years. Feh.
Go, go on the freelance gig. I see financial stability ahead. Gee, I can’t wait until I can post about my writing in the third-person. ;>)
“Go, go on the freelance gig. I see financial stability ahead.“
You do? Where?? Hey, are you wearing those microscope-lens glasses again, Swamp Queen?
They’ve just gotten a bit of swamp goo on them, that’s all.
Eugie, get with someone who is up on HIPPA. Since you are on Cobra, you have continuous coverage, which means that any insurance company has to take you. Now as to their rates, they may cost a bit more than their average customer, but it should be better than Cobra.
“Eugie, get with someone who is up on HIPPA.“
A-1 advice, ye verily. But I’m having a difficult time implementing it. I don’t know who to call for reliable advice on HIPPA. I’ve been scouring the Internet trying to figure out the ins and outs of my health insurance options, and there’s so much which is state dependent and contradictory.
Like, I’ve been told not to even apply for other health insurance, even if it’s only to see whether we’d qualify and what their rates are, because it might jeopardize my COBRA coverage. And I’ve also been told that as long as we don’t accept coverage under a new policy, COBRA won’t be impacted.
It’s enough to make my head spin off my neck and go bouncing down the street.
“which means that any insurance company has to take you.“
I thought it only meant that I can’t be refused from a group plan that I would otherwise qualify for (i.e. an employer’s group policy or a spouse’s policy). But the thing is, being self-employed now, my group policy options are pretty limited, and I’m afraid I may have to switch to an individual plan–assuming I can get any insurer to cover me–which places me into the Portability (otherwise known as the “we can charge you highway robbery rates for coverage and drop you on a whim”) insurance classification.
ARGH!
eek! to your insurance scariness.
Thank you for linking to that article–I never had any idea about the USAA thing, and right now I’m just thanking bog I can live with my allergies….
oops. that was me, Becca, dionycheaus. Yeah.
Skunk shedding…
Yep, here too! Times two! It’s everywhere! Artie already looks so little, but Sammy, since the dental work, has become a fur-basketball!
shedding…
My Stinkerbell is starting to lose all the long hairs in her tail, this is the first summer I’ve had her, is this normal? I assume so, because nothing else seems to be wrong (other than that she’s entering her terrible twos anyway…)
Excited to have found your site!