What's bumming your stone today?

[DanaC]

Because hydrotherapy is classed as a 'complementary treatment', Carrot's insurance only covers up to 12 sessions across his lifetime.

We reached that limit about 6 weeks ago. I've been in contact with them, emails and phonecalls to try and negotiate more. For many dogs hydrotherapy is a complementary therapy designed to run alongside their medication and other therapies, particularly if they're suffering from arthritis: it provides impact-free exercise.

The thing that is annoying me is that for hip dysplasia dogs like Carrot, the hydrotherapy isn't a complementary therapy. It is the primary treatment for early diagnosed dysplasia. It is what retrains their foot movement and builds muscles. It is the best intervention available for this condition.

Anyways: finally got an answer yesterday. There's nothing can be done because of the way their policies are worded with the underwriter.

On the upside, they have passed my emails and those from my vet to the team that looks at this sort of thing, and hopefully sometime in the fture they may reword to take account of this relatively new (only really been used as a first response for about the last 10-15 years) use of hydro therapy as a primary treatment for dysplasia.

Isn't going to affect me, because my policy wouldn;t be affected, only new policies. But, at least there's a chance this anomaly will be ironed out for others.

Annoying though. It's the only thing they can actually do for him that treats the underlying condition.

And the thing with insurance is...they have a captive customer the moment you have to use them. From the moment I walked into that vet's surgery and said, 'I'm concerned there my be something going on with his back legs', I was effectively tied into this insurer for the rest of Carrot's life.

Ah well. They're probably all following the same script on hydro therapy anyway.

[DanaC]

I'm still glad I got insurance mind...the initial xrays, the assessments at the start and intermittently to check progress, all of that's been covered. Likewise the initial intensive phase of twice weekly, then weekly sessions. He's now doing once a fortnight generally, though right now he's back to once a week just for a little while as he is just getting back to where he was at before the groin strain injury knocked him off his stride.

The assessments in particular are not cheap. Not to someone unused to paying healthcare costs for herself anyway :p We are fortunate that we live a half hour drive away from one of the country's leading animal rehabilitation specialists. An assessment costs around £150 - £250, but is a pretty intensive 45mins -1.5 hours depending where you're at in the treatment. Three of those have already been covered by the insurance.

[orthodoc]

It sounds just like the insurance setup here prior to the ACA - no pre-existing conditions covered. Supplementary insurance in Canada, now they've de-listed so many services, works that way too. Very frustrating because, as you say, it removes the market. Sorry to hear that you're going through all this with Carrot. It's great you're pursuing the fact that it's primary therapy - who knows, maybe they'll change coverage sooner than you think. Especially (being cynical) if it's less expensive than medications.

[DanaC]

Certainly less expensive than surgery, the likelihood of which is reduced significantly by early intervention of this kind.

[Chocolatl]

Neil Gaiman, my favorite author, is embarking on his Last US Signing Tour this summer. He is not coming within a 4 hour radius of me. I am bummed.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Send him a picture of the bean.

[Sundae]

Poor Carrot. First, we kill all the insurers.

Choc, I've recently been rereading Gaiman's back catalogue. Those I haven't gifted away or left behind, that is. I'm sad he lives in the US now; to me he's such a quintessentially British writer. Still, as Monster points out, living on the other side of the pond does not change where you came from.

I feel your pain though. Thanks goodness JB still has so many ties here. I was worried we might lose him too when he got his place in Palm Springs.

[elSicomoro]

My left eye has been bugging me all week...I thought it was allergies at first, given that mine tend to act up all the time, and we're having typical Midwest weather this week: 70 Monday, 40 the next day.

I noticed this morning that it looks particularly bad...very similar to the way it did when I was diagnosed with MRSA in that eye 3 years ago. My new job has me going in and out of hospitals, so I fear it may have returned. Waiting to hear from my doctor now as to her recommendation.

*fingers crossed*

[glatt]

Hope it's just tree pollen.

[Aliantha]

Yeah, me too. You'll be in all sorts of shit if its mrsa.

[elSicomoro]

Pink eye...fucking pink eye...are you shitting me?!

At least it doesn't appear to be a MRSA reoccurrence...

[Sundae]

Gotta go to a chusrch healing event today.
I mean, I agreed to it, so it's my own fault.
Mum just seemed so enthusiastic and pleased it had come about at just the right time to help me.
I know she's having Masses said for me; which I know costs money. Sigh.

So off we go today; something I don't believe in or agree with, which I am only doing to be nice.
And yet here I am bitching about it...

[elSicomoro]

I don't go to churches very often...because the churches sense my evil and try to expel me...

[Sundae]

We only stayed about 30 minutes. Mum said it wasn't for her, and Dad was unsettled by it.
It wasn't the way it was described to them at Mass.

Alarm bells rang for me yesterday when it said refreshment breaks would be in the monring and afternoon but to bring your own packed lunch. That didn't mesh with the "just drop in any time" event Mum was describing.

Then when we got there, we had to sign in, and one column was agreeing to be contacted by the Healing Ministries in the future. I put a line through this box. One of the steely-gaze OAPs at the table told me I had to initial the box. "I don't really want to be contacted."
"You have to sign it, otherwise we can't let you in."
Bearing in mind I was there to build bridges for Mum I signed. Hmmmm. Had I been there alone I would have asked to see someone with a brain, it was obviously an option, not a requirement. Joke's on them though, I misspelled my email address and didn't give my postcode.

Anyway it was a proper service, singing and Gospel reading and praying over people.
Mum said it was too evangelical. It wasn't - I mean I know evangelical, the church I went to in Leicester was practically a mission centre; they had someone in the city centre preaching every weekend. I think she meant it was too informal and happy-clappy for her.

Anyway, I was saved.
Saved from having to sit there for too long.
Not sneering - if that's your bag good luck to you.
Me, I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow. Back to the Friends' Meeting House for silent contemplation with the Quakers.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Sundae

Back to the Friends' Meeting House for silent contemplation with the Quakers.

That's more my speed, too back the Quakers retreated back to Philly from here.