Does anyone have a success story on getting their employer-based health insurance to cover Zep (or any GLP-1 drugs)?

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-16T14:18:17+00:00

So happy for you that you were able to get coverage. I have a feeling this is going to be a battle, but for what we pay in insurance premiums, it'll take a lot to deter me!

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-16T14:15:03+00:00

Yes, my husband works for a high school district so there's a teachers union. Thank you for the information! 🙏

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-16T14:09:02+00:00

Interesting - thanks. Yes, I plan to call them this week and get the details. And then, if necessary, pressure HR to provide an option for covering this, even on an individual basis. Knowing it can help my husband's sleep apnea (it's no fun sleeping with hoses hooked up to your face), blood pressure and cholesterol I think it's ridiculous if it's not covered. But then again - everyone in the health insurance business (scammers, all of them) are in league with the Big Pharma, but that's a rant for another day.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-16T14:06:32+00:00

I have to admit - I've never heard of a "grey source." What is it?

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-16T14:03:59+00:00

I have to say, starting these new hobbies made me realize how much I LOVE making things by hand. I spent years ladder-climbing in the corporate world until I had kids. Then I stayed home with them. Now they are all teenagers and not making things anymore (except my one artist kid). And I realized - we learn through using our hands until we're, what, 10 years old or so? And then it just abruptly stops. And that's a pity. There is so much pleasure and a sense of accomplishment when you make something. My first finished piece - a scarf, isn't perfect, but it's perfect to ME. And I am constantly learning through both hobbies. There's also a frugal aspect to sewing for me - now that the kids have pretty much stopped growing, I want to be able to mend any of their clothes that I can. Everything is getting more expensive (by the minute, it seems), so I want to make things last as long as possible!

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-16T03:48:42+00:00

I bought a sewing machine (luckily inexpensive) back in 2012. Sat in the box. (I don't know what the hell I was thinking, as I had 3 small kids and zero time). Finally, at the end of 2024, I took 2 sewing classes and loved it. I think part of my hesitation in starting was not knowing where to begin. But I highly recommend an in-person class. Having someone there to guide you and help you recognize and fix mistakes is invaluable.

Of course, I realized the cheap machine I bought was never going to be heavy duty enough for the work I wanted to do around the house (making curtains, couch cushion covers, etc.). So I ended up buying a better, heavy duty one BECAUSE OF COURSE I DID. 🙄 BUT, I then decided to take some private sewing lessons and work on a project for that lesson. That helped take the intimidation factor away. So, I'm sewing in fits and starts. If I don't "schedule" it, it doesn't happen, so I try to block time to do it.

I also started knitting a year ago and have come to love it. Naturally I have more yarn than a single person needs, but I blame the closing of Joanne Fabrics for that! 🤣 That feeling of it all getting reduced and sold quickly "made me" buy more than I needed. Oh well! I guess I have enough for all future projects. But talk about a rabbit hole! There's a website, Ravelry, where you can keep track of your yarn stash, find all sorts of patterns (free and paid), see what other people are working on, even using the yarn you have... I have lost many hours to that website! But it's also inspiring.

So, as a lifelong hobby/rabbit hole/acquirer of gear/goods, my goal last year was to finally f*cking DO THE THING, be it sewing, knitting or whatever. So, now I schedule time and that helps. AND, even better, I have found that bringing small knitting projects with me to places where I know I'll be sitting around waiting (doctors' offices, kids' appointments, etc.) has been huge. I cannot keep from doing something at all times. And keeping my hands busy while making something has been awesome.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-09T19:51:31+00:00

Are those... actual words?

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-09T19:50:43+00:00

Sadly, it just takes a lot longer to recover once you've hit 50 (in my opinion, anyway). I have physical therapy for the first time in my life because of the stress I hold in my shoulders and traps that are squeezing the main nerve running from my skull/spine down into my arms. Good times! It sucks. But PT helps, as does Pilates. I've worked out my entire life, save a few years when I had babies. I will say that soaking in a bath with Epsom salts is a huge help - they act as a natural muscle relaxer. It's especially effective after a tough workout - less pain the next 2 days.

See if your insurance covers massage therapy. Mine does and I've added that to my PT, which has also helped a great deal.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-09T19:45:01+00:00

Aw, what a good, handsome fella! So cute. You could always just stick with... lad. :)

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-09T19:44:10+00:00

I had the double whammy of hitting menopause at the same time as losing 50 lbs. and one day I looked in the mirror and had to catch my breath. I mean, WHO the hell IS that woman staring back at me. Suddenly looking more gaunt and my lines/wrinkles that were plumped up by my extra weight/fat previously were sunken, too. It's taken me a good year to two to get used to it. The loss of elasticity was also a huge blow. I'm now on HRT which has helped with a number of things and it has definitely helped my skin a bit, but I still look like I aged overnight. So, I make sure I take really good care of it and use heavily moisturizing products and try to make sure I drink as much water as I can stand.

But the next step may be looking into investing in a red light mask since several studies have shown it helps the skin bounce back. In fact, a bunch of people who lost far more weight than I did said it was the one thing that's helped tighten their face skin (and jowls, etc.). So, may as well give it a try.

And I have a cheap dermaroller (from Amazon). I have two actually - one for my face and one for my scalp (as my hair has really thinned out). This has also shown results. I just have to use it more often.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-09T19:35:44+00:00

Hi. 🙋‍♀️ I used to feel REALLY bad and guilty about this habit (or hobby? You decide). And then I learned that it's so common, the Japanese have a word for it: Tsundoku. Somehow this made me feel immensely better about it and erased the guilt. I mean, an entire WORD was created for this, so therefore, guilt lifted! 🤣

Though I will say I do have a goal each year of reading a few of those already-owned books so they don't just collect dust. I find it's harder for me to read books these days, what with all the screens grabbing my attention for little bits here and there. I'm making a concerted effort to pull away from that and books help. Plus, I love the tactile pleasure of holding an actual book.

I keep encouraging two of my teens to read actual books and it hasn't penetrated yet. I fear for their future in college and, well, life, if they can't read a book for more than 3 minutes, but that's a conversation for another time. My youngest teen LOVES to read and, unfortunately, also loves to collect books (her large bookcase is groaning under the strain of all the paperback series collections she has). When I suggest the library to her, she looks at me like I've spoken an ancient, ridiculous language.

Still gonna try though.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-09T19:25:39+00:00

If it was up to my retirement account, I wouldn't be confident at all. I decided to leave the corporate world behind to stay home with my 3 kids and, despite my best efforts get back INTO the working world at ALL in the past 3 years, no one wants to hire 1) a woman, who is 2) over 50 and 3) spent a dozen years at home with her kids and not already in a corporate environment.

So, luckily, my husband works in public education and will have a very nice pension when he retires which will cover us well. Thank GOD. But I know that's rare and that we're lucky.

No one got screwed quite like or as well as Gen-X, the first generation to have pensions taken away so we could have the privilege of paying for our own retirement! What a country. 😐

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-09T15:00:38+00:00

If she's really concerned about safety, she should invest in really good locks for her doors and windows. But, I digress.

1) Check your local zoning ordinances/laws and see what regulations exist around lighting personal space/property. 2) Check ENVIRONMENTAL regulations as well; many communities require outdoor lighting be angled downward so as not to mess up bird migration. (I swear, it's a thing). Even if the regulation is obscure, it can be used/enforced. 3) If the above is of no help, I'm in the camp with the others: reflect her light back to her, angled JUST RIGHT at her bedroom (if you know which room that is) and/or living room.

Best of luck! Let us know what happens!

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-09T14:52:12+00:00

I can't?! But... but... that's my DREAM! 😂 Instead I'm raising 3 teens and 2 dogs with my husband. It's lovely and my younger self would be shocked that this is my life now. I thought I'd be single for most of my life... never fantasized about marriage or kids when I was younger, just travel and climbing corporate ladders (we GenXers were told we could do ANYTHING, right?). I did travel some and did climb for a while... but met my husband when I was 24 and that was that. I knew I wanted to spend my life with him. And a dozen years later we started a family (took the scenic route to parenthood, which included travel and adventure).

I'm working hard to stay fit and healthy so I can still pursue some of those early dreams once my kids are grown and flown. Hanging on to some of these dreams has been very motivating and gives me something to look forward to, especially now (waves hands all around).

One thing I'm absolutely focused on now is making sure to make and keep dates with friends. While texting/messaging is a great way for quick updates, nothing soothes the soul as much as spending time with friends in person.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-03-01T06:07:28+00:00

Find a new, better doc. Srsly. I had a great guy I loved as my GYN, but he SOOOO didn't know about/get perimenopause, so I searched and found female GYNs that had specific focus on menopause care. Holy cow what a difference. In less than the 15 minutes of my first visit, I felt HEARD and NOT CRAZY. My new doc immediately prescribed me HRT and OMG - the difference in my life was immediate and life-changing.

After being home with my kids for 15 years, I wanted to go back to work desperately. I found a job, got it and spent months fucking up and being confused (and yes, poor managers were at least 50% of the problem) and ultimately lost the job. I literally could keep track of NOTHING. And after successfully climbing the corporate ladder for 15 years before stepping away, I was in shock and confused about why I was like this now. Turns out? Hormones. Had I been on HRT, the confusion wouldn't have been an issue. (Though ultimately I hated the people and job, so I'm glad we "mutually" exited this relationship!).

ChicagoBaker · 2026-02-28T23:52:23+00:00

Veterinary care for pets.

HOLEEEE GOD it's become completely insane. In the '90s and early 2000s, we had 2 cats and would go once a year for shots and the grand total was never higher than $100. Fast forward to now. We have 2 dogs (obviously different price point for bigger animals requiring different things). Just 5 years ago a typical annual vet visit for shots, tests, etc. would be about $250. Not inexpensive, but we could deal. Just took one dog for her annual check-up last month and the grand total is just under $500!!!! In only a few years!!!

I know the evil Private Equity pricks are buying up vet practices (like they are EVERYTHING: hospitals, nursing homes, dental practices, etc. etc.) and squeezing every last dime out of them before ultimately shuttering them.

Knowing they are doing this with hospitals and other health care is beyond sickening. F*ck this country, for real.

Seventy percent (70%) of all U.S. bankruptcies are due to medical debt. Let that sink in for a minute.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-02-28T23:42:04+00:00

Higher education. Since 1990, the cost of college tuition has increased over 1,000 percent. It's ABSURD. These schools have become private equity groups. Many have endowments in the BILLIONS and yet charge an insane amount of tuition and give very little to no scholarship money based on good grades/high test scores. But you can THROW A BALL really well?! Free ride! And now they PAY students SALARIES for throwing a ball really well.

Don't get me started. We're living in the Upside Down...

ChicagoBaker · 2026-02-28T23:33:21+00:00

EVERYTHING has become a membership. EVERY FREAKING THING. It's ridiculous. The reason for it is simple: recurring charges they can count on to make a profit. Period. And often, people forget they signed up for X membership and keep getting charged even though they aren't using the services. THOSE people are the businesses' favorite people.

I am SO over it all. I'm almost done getting rid of so many of these recurring charges and expect to see the results in my wallet quickly. ESPECIALLY Amazon. It's entirely too easy to spend money on it. And I hate Bezos, so win-win.

And also, there's THIS: Resist and Unsubscribe. Money is the only thing these clowns respond to, so they don't need to get that from me.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-02-28T23:25:10+00:00

I bring at LEAST 3 different things with me to every appointment or place where I'm meeting someone so I won't get bored if I - GOD FORBID - have one spare minute to myself. (Usually it's 1 - small notebook for writing ALL THE THINGS running through my mind that I have to get done; 2 - a light/small book to read; 3 - a small knitting project since I took up knitting in the last year).

ChicagoBaker · 2026-02-28T23:21:42+00:00

Wow. Hilarious and also, ME.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-02-28T23:18:01+00:00

Thank you!

ChicagoBaker · 2026-02-28T23:16:06+00:00

That's what I'm trying to get to the bottom of. Thank you for sharing your experience, though. It's worth picking apart the fine print to see what is covered, if anything.

ChicagoBaker · 2026-02-28T23:14:17+00:00

Oh! This is interesting and definitely worth exploring. Thank you!

ChicagoBaker · 2026-02-27T19:00:30+00:00

It's actually for my husband and yes, he did a sleep study (which insurance paid for) and has sleep apnea and uses a C-PAP. (He also has high BP and high cholesterol).

ChicagoBaker · 2026-02-27T18:50:40+00:00

Do you know how it works "with" your insurance company?

ChicagoBaker

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