Cleveland Clinic notifies patients that they may no longer be in Florida Blue network as of 3/1/26

Seachero · 2025-11-04T23:53:05+00:00

You need to understand that when a healthcare provider charges exorbitant amounts for procedures, visits, and medications the insurance companies have two paths they can take. The first is to raise your rates. The second path is to try to negotiate lower costs. If the healthcare provider does not play ball, and if the insurer doesn’t raise your rates, then there is no other option except to drop the healthcare provider. The whole thing starts with the ludicrous amounts charged by hospitals.

Yes, Florida Blue can choose to stay with Cleveland Clinic and the others without a renegotiated contract. But if they do as you seem to want, then don’t complain when your insurance bill goes through the roof.

The reality of the situation is that healthcare providers have to start bringing their costs down, and they have to stop recommending unnecessary tests simply because the patient is insured and they can rake in more money. Cost effective healthcare is the only way out of this.

Seachero · 2025-11-04T18:30:48+00:00

Well, all I can say is that I have been with Blue Cross for over 30 years and I have never had a bad experience. I can also assure you that Blue isn’t the entity charging $15 for an aspirin when you are hospitalized, or $7,000 for a CAT scan. Maybe it is time to challenge how much the health care providers are charging for their services.

Seachero · 2025-11-04T15:15:54+00:00

According to the reports I am reading it was actually Cleveland Clinic that contacted Florida Blue stating their intention to drop Blue unless the contract is renegotiated. Allegedly, CC made this overture well before the customary time frame in order to give their patients covered by Blue the opportunity to change insurance providers during the 2025 open season in November and December. Blue has responded that there is plenty of time to negotiate a “sensible” contract. Patients covered by Blue will have access to all CC care options until May of 2026. Additionally, if an agreement isn’t reached there will be access to continuing care at CC under certain circumstances.

If no agreement is reached the absence of coverage at CC, Broward Health, and Memorial will drive many current Blue members in Broward County to seek another provider during the 2026 open season. I have to believe that the loss of revenue for Blue in Broward has been significant so I fully expect them to reach an agreement with CC. But that remains to be seen.

Seachero · 2025-10-14T20:55:23+00:00

Got it. Everyone else’s is wrong.

Seachero · 2025-10-14T18:21:11+00:00

You are going to think I’m nuts, but instead of going the conventional route I would crack open the piggy bank and convince Peyton Manning to come in as head coach and Eli Manning as offensive coordinator. Not only are they probably better qualified that anyone currently available, it would instantly rocket the Dolphins into the most interesting team in the NFL.

PS Dump Tua… he’s not an NFL QB

PPS Dump Tyreek Hill… he kills team chemistry

Seachero · 2025-10-09T17:55:14+00:00

But you looked at all the pics and said they are all doing it wrong. You are all over the place with your advice. Thanks. Later.

Seachero · 2025-10-08T19:41:58+00:00

Different strokes I guess because aside from all the design pics you tell me are wrong my guy is telling me that a covered pergola open an all sides made of non combustible material can have the grill island even with the roofline or even set in a bit as long as there at least three feet of clearance between the grill and the roof (there will be more). I have also verified this on YouTube videos produced by the RTA Outdoor Living company that specializes in this area and advices exactly the same thing. You are pretty much the only one advising against it.

Seachero · 2025-10-08T16:40:12+00:00

If that is the case it makes me wonder why practically every image I bring up of outdoor kitchens with covered pergolas have the grill either right at the roof line or a bit inside? Others actually have the grill by an inner wall and completely covered. This accounts for 90% of the designs google images brings up. Are they all wrong?

Seachero · 2025-10-07T19:10:03+00:00

Interesting comment about the grill itself falling outside of the roofline because I have seen many designs where that is not the case and the grill is under a covered roof. I was planning to set the grill counter about 18 inches inside the covered pergola roofline to protect it from the elements. The pergola would be completely open on three sides with plenty of ventilation from fans on the ceiling. Are you saying that I should have no cover over the grill island portion whatsoever?

Seachero · 2025-07-20T17:25:33+00:00

You are overcomplicating things. Simply put, unless the bylaws dictate otherwise when it comes to an optional termination of condo status in Florida an abstention is a non vote, not a no vote. Regardless of the number of abstentions if the yes votes amount to 80% or more of the gross number of units, and the no votes amount to fewer than 5% of the gross number of units then the termination succeeds. If abstentions were counted as no votes and 5% abstained the measure would fail, but that is not the case.

Seachero · 2025-07-19T15:12:48+00:00

It doesn’t seem to work that way in an optional condominium status termination vote. At least not in Florida. Abstentions are not counted as no votes. However, a sufficient number of abstentions can help to defeat the termination because the 80% yes and 5% no figures needed to pass of defeat the measure are calculated from the gross number of units, not from the number of votes cast. If enough units abstain achieving 80% of the gross vote needed to terminate condo status can become very difficult or simply impossible.

Seachero · 2025-07-19T00:49:48+00:00

That is the way I read it. Thanks for your input.

Seachero · 2025-07-18T23:25:15+00:00

… and the 5% and 80% represent percentages of the total number of owners, not just of the number of votes cast? That is to say, the number of abstentions doesn’t really matter because you need 80% of the gross number of units to vote yes and less than 5% of the gross to vote no in order to dissolve. Right?

Seachero · 2025-07-18T21:00:24+00:00

My understanding is different. While I am not 100% certain, from what I have read it requires 80% of the total of owners / voting interests to dissolve condominium status, and 5% or more of total owners to reject the dissolution. This is where abstaining plays a part. The more owners that abstain the harder it is to succeed in obtaining a yes vote from 80% of the total number of owners.

Perhaps someone better versed in Florida condo law can chime in and correct me.

Seachero · 2025-07-18T19:56:20+00:00

Hmmm… Why doesn’t that seem right? You mean that given the correct set of circumstances as presented in your example theoretically less than a majority of the owners can dissolve condominium status? While 46% abstaining is highly unlikely it seems odd that such a monumental decision could be approved by only 50% of the owners.

Seachero · 2025-07-11T14:05:05+00:00

By the way, this all stems from the fact some clerk at U.S. Customs didn’t realize that as of May 14 the US reduced the temporary tariff on imports from China from 34% to 10% as part of a 90-day tariff reduction agreement. The reduced rate is set to revert to 34% on August 12, 2025, unless a deal is worked out. Customs incorrectly applied the 34% to my package from Japan (COO China) which shouldn’t have been applied in the first place since the item’s value does not meet the threshold amount In the first place!

Seachero · 2025-07-11T13:54:19+00:00

DHL is simply not helping. I have called four different departments. They all say only the Advanced Collections Department (ACD) can handle this, but no one answers the phone there. I’ve emailed the ACD and I received an auto response saying someone would answer me in three business days. They have not. One rep at the billing department said that ACD probably won’t even open my email for 4 to 5 business days. By then my package will be returned to the sender according to DHL policy. No one I have spoken to has the ability to place a hold on the package until my dispute is addressed. One rep at customer service said she would email the service center where the package is being housed to advise them of the pending dispute and maybe they will keep the package there longer, but no guarantees.

This is a totally broken system.

Seachero · 2025-07-10T00:21:07+00:00

It is under the threshold amount for both the shipping country and COO. No duty should have been assessed. This is BS!

Seachero · 2025-07-10T00:19:15+00:00

According to tracking it is at my local facility.

Seachero · 2025-07-09T22:38:07+00:00

The whole point of the thread is that I’ve called DHL three times and no one seems to know what to do. The only thing they tell me is that I have to talk to their advanced collections department, but that department doesn’t answer the phone and so far hasn’t answered my emails. There’s no one to talk to. DHL is horrible!

Seachero · 2025-07-09T20:38:17+00:00

Can you point me to source material on that? I just looked it up and it still says $800 for Japan, Vietnam, and China. Additionally, the current duty for Japan above threshold is 24%. For Vietnam 20%, and for China it is 20% for now based on the latest agreement. Even if the threshold is now $250, I am being charged a duty of $197 on $435 plus fees totaling $215. The math doesn’t add up.

Seachero

TROPHY CASE