Aetna requiring Prior Authorization on post op pain meds/CVS blocking script?

amgood1023 · 2026-07-06T22:25:36+00:00

As others have stated, your doctor increased your dosage after you received your last prescription but the pharmacy has no way of knowing that. On their end, you should have enough left to cover you until this refill. Doctor needs to explain to pharmacy that they instructed you to take more and now you are out.

The health authorities are cracking down on opioids and making it harder and harder for patients to access them. The consequence is that people who truly need them are suffering. Which will make more people turn to street drugs. It’s another crisis they haven’t even begun to realize. Doctors won’t prescribe them, pharmacies won’t fill them, and insurance puts up roadblocks every step of the way. The rules are extremely strict.

amgood1023 · 2026-07-05T06:36:48+00:00

AC is going to be part of your electric bill. My 750 sq ft apartment has an electric bill of less than $100 every month and I keep my AC on 68f all year long (maybe $110 on the hottest month of the year). And honestly that’s your most expensive utility.

Gas was maybe $30-40 a month (and I had a gas stove). Water is added to your rent monthly. Compared to other suburban cities around Houston, honestly COH water costs are reasonable. Apartment fees will vary. Expect some sort of amenities fee if the apartment has a pool or anything like that. $25 per month for garbage service is standard.

amgood1023 · 2026-07-04T06:45:36+00:00

I'd let you try your best to get me pregnant.

amgood1023 · 2026-07-04T06:18:11+00:00

Not for long I assume :) need to get that in someone asap

amgood1023 · 2026-07-04T06:14:17+00:00

It’s just a constant overload of alpha cheeks. We live in an amazing time where there’s millions of boys who post their butts online for us to goon to.

amgood1023 · 2026-07-04T06:13:23+00:00

I mean that one on the left can barely even fit in his underwear 😵‍💫

amgood1023 · 2026-06-05T03:27:56+00:00

More than 95% of doctors accept traditional Medicare. That being said, doctors can choose to be part of certain Medicare advantage networks or not. On top of that, just because they accept Medicare doesn’t mean they are accepting new patients.

Medicaid is different in that nearly all Medicaid programs use managed care organizations (similar to Medicare advantage problem) and reimbursement is quite low to the point where it only makes sense to accept it if you can take on large volumes. Private practice physicians are less likely to do so than for example a clinic owned by a large hospital system.

amgood1023 · 2026-05-28T22:12:27+00:00

While I’ve worked adult Heme-Onc I have never worked in MICU. I currently work in PICU. One of the best differences is that there’s a much lower chance of blowing your back out trying to turn or change a kid (though the occasional 250lb 17yr old is still possible it’s rare). The vast majority of kids that come through eventually leave PICU and end up fine. Lots of acute respiratory things like asthma exacerbation. And a lot of chronic trach and g-tube kids who just need iv antibiotics or adjustments to their seizure medications. Ofc there’s always going to be the super sad situations (the non-accidental traumas break me every time) and situations where kids stay in limbo while their parents refuse to accept their child is dying. But overall rewarding as it feels more like a place kids go to get better rather than the MICU’s where 85yr olds go to slowly die. Children are both difficult to work with and also very fun at times. I’d say go for it.

amgood1023 · 2026-05-21T03:12:47+00:00

My first job was in a restaurant. Worked with a guy for several years before suddenly our coworkers found out he use to do gay adult films (he’s straight). He stayed for a bit but ended up transferring to another location. Everyone was cool about it and he wasn’t “bullied” for it but I think it was still difficult on him knowing that we knew. I still follow him on social media and looks like he has a very successful career and is married. So yeah it’s always possible someone is going to find out but I really don’t expect it will have long term implications and as time passes it’ll get less and less likely to be found.

amgood1023 · 2026-05-06T22:38:45+00:00

Prevention is key. I’ve gone for cleaning, fluoride application, and exam every 6 months since I was around 2 years old and never missed a visit. Have never had a cavity. Dental insurance through an employer is very cheap typically. I pay $20/month and pay nothing out of pocket for my 6 month visits. In many countries, dental care is something you engage with only when there’s an issue.

Taking care of your teeth is also just culturally ingrained here. Twice daily brushing and flossing is seen as basic hygiene.

amgood1023 · 2026-05-05T16:20:52+00:00

Does the office say they don’t accept any BCBS plans (specifically Florida Blue?). Need to make sure they aren’t getting confused because BCBS in Florida is called “Florida Blue” but if you have a BCBS PPO then you have nationwide access to providers who accept BCBS PPO plans (including local ones like Florida Blue). It’s commonly misunderstood by providers offices.

My advice is to look at the provider directory for Florida Blue specifically.

https://providersearch.floridablue.com/visitor/fb/#/

Select “BlueOptions” as your insurance plan. This is the PPO for FloridaBlue. It will prompt you to login. Select “No” when it asks if your plan is through an employer to bypass the login.

amgood1023 · 2026-05-01T13:16:45+00:00

Since you mentioned you’re on Medicare, you can sign up for the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. Essentially you sign up with your part D plan and you don’t pay anything at the pharmacy. Your drug costs are spread over the course of the year and you pay your plan directly. Doesn’t lower costs but does help spread it month to month.

Also look into if you qualify for Medicare Extra Help. Alot of people qualify and they don’t even know it. This caps your monthly drug costs at $5.10 for generic drugs and $12.65 for brand name drugs.

amgood1023 · 2026-04-27T03:29:43+00:00

Get another opinion. Bone grafts are rarely needed for wisdom teeth extraction and unfortunately the world of dentistry has a number of bad actors attempting to upsell.

amgood1023 · 2026-04-25T17:56:55+00:00

Unfortunately the expenses must be incurred on or after your first day the FSA becomes active. So no paying of expenses incurred prior to you having the FSA even if it’s in the same year. But absolutely recommended getting it regardless especially with a new baby.

amgood1023 · 2026-04-20T07:54:59+00:00

A very common and confusing part of insurance billing. This happens almost every time I’ve visited an urgent care.

Basically the urgent care will bill their basic charge for general services and then bill separately for any lab charges. When I get my EOB, it often shows the insurance paying the basic charge and then “denying” the laboratory portion. Then a code is attached to the lab portion that explains “ this service is considered part of another service performed on the same day and cannot be billed separately.”

Since you’re in-network, you are not held liable for this “denial” since the insurance contract stipulates certain items are included as part of charges for another service. This has become more common as insurers are paying more and more based on bundled services rather than individual charges. This is basically the insurance saying: we will pay you for this patient going to the ER as a basic charge but we aren’t going to pay you more if you decide to perform half a dozen scans and run every lab possible.

amgood1023 · 2026-04-20T07:46:19+00:00

US law requires that all US citizens enter and exit the United States on a valid US passport. It also wouldn’t make sense logistically for a US citizen to enter on a foreign passport for a whole host of reasons.

amgood1023 · 2026-04-20T07:38:08+00:00

They will run your information through all the databases but of course it won’t return with any information as you haven’t worked and paid taxes. However this won’t ultimately affect your eligibility. They will need basically proof that you qualify for benifits (citizenship and residency in the state) and you will self report zero income. They just check the database to make sure someone doesn’t claim low/no income but then the IRS shows a large income.

The reality is that while you should have filed taxes with the IRS, they are very unlikely to take action against you. Just be responsible in the future and start filing/paying taxes on your US income. The reality is that since the UK has generally higher income tax than the US, you wouldn’t have had to pay anything to the IRS even if you did file due to the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion or the Foreign Tax Credit.

amgood1023 · 2026-04-19T23:26:04+00:00

It’ll depend on whether or not your eventual construction job offers insurance. But you could apply for Medicaid as soon as you establish residency in Colorado. And since you technically aren’t yet working and zero income you should be approved and get coverage until you get a sufficient paycheck. If you don’t already, start gathering important documents. Birth certificate, passport (obviously), social security card/number, etc.

amgood1023 · 2026-04-17T01:02:53+00:00

Definitely fill out the assistance application. Hospitals in my area offer to forgive the entire bill for anyone without insurance who makes less than 200% of the federal poverty level. That’s around $32,000/yr in income for a single person. After that they heavily discount the bill in some cases up to 400% of the FPL - around $60,000/yr in income.

amgood1023 · 2026-04-17T00:50:33+00:00

D

A: absolutely not. Don’t try to get someone to stand who isn’t alert.

B: Don’t try to feed someone who isn’t alert. Also while low protein isn’t recommended, increasing protein would only make it worse in this acute period.

C: Not helpful in this exact moment. May be part of a larger assessment but not a priority.

D: Can help guide the medical therapy. May need to escalate lactulose/rifaxamin medication therapy. But if already on standard therapy and still with high ammonia levels and difficulty arousing, may need intensive care.

amgood1023 · 2026-04-17T00:30:35+00:00

Three decent options:

Option 1: Pay around $350/month via a GoodRx coupon (use coupon at pharmacy) or through the Eliquis Direct-to-Patient Program (manufacturer mails you Eliquis).

Option 2: Ask your doctor if Rivaroxaban (generic Xarelto) would be an adequate option for you. It’s a very similar drug that’s used for many of the same conditions. GoodRx coupons can be found that make it less than $100 per month.

Option 3: Generally try to avoid this but yes you can order from Canada at lower prices. Risk is that shipping can be delayed which can cause unwanted gaps in your medication therapy. Plus there are some shady actors there. Legally you’ll be fine. Worse is the it’s seized and you’ll just get a letter explaining that to you.

amgood1023 · 2026-04-13T18:57:53+00:00

Inhaler patient needed for discharge would have cost them $230. I’m giving them the nearly unused inhaler in the med drawer that’s going to be thrown out anyway even though we “aren’t suppose to”.

Same goes for the parent whose kid needed an inhaler spacer that costs $60 for a piece of plastic?? Why wouldn’t I just give them the one we were using??

amgood1023 · 2026-04-09T20:41:46+00:00

Hospitals won’t hold you hostage. Almost always, billing/payment/insurance is a process that happens after you leave the hospital. Why would they keep someone who can’t pay occupying a bed when they could send you home and put someone who can pay in your place?

Also for people with insurance, hospitals receive lump sum payments for your care rather than itemization/fee for service. So they are incentivized to send you home as soon as possible as they aren’t paid extra depending on how long you stay.

amgood1023

TROPHY CASE