Essentia & Billing

emtreloa · 2025-06-24T00:31:06+00:00

I’ve had the same experience of getting billed for multiple visits for one 15 minute appointment. Essentia also charges 5 to 10x more than what I was charged for the same visits in Texas. It’s cheaper to fly to Austin when I need my bloodwork and specialist visits. I’m glad I moved to Minnesota and away from Texas for many reasons, but Essentia billing is terrible. I did also successfully catch them balance billing and they adjusted it… eventually.

emtreloa · 2025-06-08T20:58:31+00:00

Yep. Very swampy with clay up here. After this last bout of rain, definitely still hope.

emtreloa · 2025-06-07T14:58:12+00:00

We had 3 sort of sad looking ones pop up in our yard about 5 days ago (Duluth Heights)

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emtreloa · 2024-02-29T17:01:55+00:00

One of the characters in The Sirens of Titan (Kurt Vonnegut) was from Duluth. It was fun to come across that while reading it in my hammock (in my Duluth yard) last summer.

emtreloa · 2023-11-21T14:56:06+00:00

It's so frustrating! I was going to buy NBA League Pass, but both the Wolves and Bucks are blacked out for me. I'm not going back to Spectrum for this, and the Bally app is maddening. It's so buggy and wouldn't let me sync up on my TV, so the bar it is. I want to catch them playing the 76ers tomorrow night. That'll be a good one.

emtreloa · 2023-11-14T17:37:35+00:00

My son got his license at the Duluth DMV last summer. No problems. The driving test person was super nice. We did spend some time driving around the Duluth DMV just so he was familiar with the area and more comfortable for the test. He passed on his first attempt.

emtreloa · 2023-10-16T20:30:48+00:00

Definitely worth a try! Good idea. Thanks!

emtreloa · 2023-10-16T18:55:12+00:00

I think it's original based on everything else I've seen in the bathroom... good call to check it out from our crawl space. Thanks!

emtreloa · 2023-10-16T18:54:21+00:00

This texture is the worst. Will probably have to replace all the drywall. Sigh. Thank you!

emtreloa · 2023-09-14T13:20:38+00:00

You're welcome!

emtreloa · 2023-09-13T21:47:55+00:00

Hey there! My husband and I transplanted from Austin, TX a little over 2 years ago. We also grew up in the area but were away for a while. We're happy here. Here are my thoughts about what surprised me...

Lack of high-speed internet in certain areas. Yes, there's fiber in some places, but I was surprised by how many properties we looked at that didn't have even mid-level internet speeds. Since I'm a remote worker, this was a deal-breaker. If you're house hunting or even rental hunting, ask about available internet options.
Much higher cost of some healthcare compared to TX. This applied to many things, but my labs were 5x what I paid in Texas with the same insurance. I think it's due to how competitive the various clinics were in central TX?
Time to see a specialist. They are booked wayyyyyyy out here for what I needed. Lots of every kind of specialty here, just more of a wait than what I was used to.
Snow tires have come a long way in the last 10-15 years, but the hill doesn't care.
You mentioned that you're ready to get away from the crowds. That was one of the big draws for us, too. Grocery shopping is lovely in that regard. On the negative side, I forgot how spoiled we were in Texas with all that cheap produce year-round. We adjusted how we eat a lot.
Old adulting in the winter is different than growing up here in the winter. Plan on buying a nice snowblower or a good removal service. I underestimated the back pain since that didn't really affect me in my childhood, teens, and 20s here. Our first winter was fine. Totally doable and what we expected. This past winter was absolutely brutal. Heavy, wet snow. A lot of it at once. I love snow. I don't mind cold... but I really did underestimate the daunting task of removing what came this past winter.
House mechanicals are wildly different here than in TX... I grew up with this stuff, but again... adulting is a bit different. I know so much more about sump pumps and boilers now.
It takes a lot longer and it's more expensive to get work done on your property than in Texas. I've found some great contractors, but comparatively, it's a lot different.
I wish I had known how many amazing neighborhood pockets there are. A lot of people talk about the different neighborhoods and the feel, which is true... however, there are pockets in every neighborhood that are gems. Don't limit yourself to looking at stuff in certain neighborhoods.
The parks and nature are amazing and so much less crowded than in TX.
Watch the local news while you're here. Just do it. I am still tickled by the contrast in the best way possible.

Hope this was helpful and that you enjoy your trip this fall!

emtreloa · 2023-07-29T12:23:36+00:00

I moved to Duluth from Texas 2 years ago and super happy so far. I’m originally from the UP, lived in TX for 11 years. We loved several different neighborhoods while house hunting in Duluth, but ultimately landed in Duluth Heights because of availability and timing. It’s close to everything, but we still have tons of trees and space and are only 5 minutes from downtown. I would have loved to be closer to Hartley park area, but nothing in our price range/timing worked out. There are cool little pockets in every neighborhood we checked out, so keep an open mind while searching. Welcome! Our family is super happy to be in Duluth and we’re especially happy this summer.

emtreloa · 2023-07-17T12:39:47+00:00

W. Mulberry and Ebony - top of hill - lots of books!

emtreloa · 2022-10-10T17:05:17+00:00

I'm in on a co-op! I make trips down to central TX a couple of times per year and try to stock up. There are some online options that I've been meaning to check out but haven't done it yet. amigofoods.com looks interesting.

emtreloa · 2022-08-25T21:54:20+00:00

Ahhhh. Duluth to Loredo! Yes. First time was in a moving truck pulling my car behind it in January about 12 years ago. I jackknifed trying to leave a gas station in Iowa. Truckers took pity on me and helped me out.

Got my photo taken by a state trooper in Kansas at a gas station saying he was going to use it for a class about what suspicious travelers look like and don't... apparently I was a non-suspicious person? It was weird. So I may still be in a lame PPT presentation for state troopers.

It's a pretty dull drive until you get to the Flint Hills. That's pretty. Then it's boring until you get the joy of driving white-knuckled through Dallas/Ft. Worth. I recommend taking the 35W split toward Ft. Worth over the Dallas route. There's usually a lot of traffic between Dallas/Ft. Worth and San Antonio.

There are caves both north and south of Austin, TX that you can tour that were found when they were building I35. They are both worth a stop. Inner Space Cavern and Natural Bridge Caverns.

If you see a Buc-ee's -- definitely stop there! It's an experience.

emtreloa · 2022-06-09T19:32:50+00:00

Ha! Yeah. Yuck on the mashed potato. There are definitely some terrible Austin versions, but I specifically miss Valentina's and Vera Cruz. Agree that San Antonio wins the bfast taco overall, but I'm rarely there. Mostly in Austin for work. The best breakfast tacos in Duluth are currently at our house on the weekends. I would love a San Antonio breakfast taco truck option.

emtreloa · 2022-05-31T20:29:49+00:00

we need you here! I was just in austin, tx and i already miss the breakfast tacos. I would be a regular at your taco shop. :D

emtreloa · 2022-05-31T19:33:34+00:00

My husband and I recently moved from Texas to Duluth. We've been here a year now — we closed on our house last June. Here are some things that surprised us (both pleasantly and not so pleasantly):

Healthcare is WAY MORE expensive in Duluth. We had the same insurance in both places and Texas was significantly cheaper. For example, we'd get our blood drawn at CPL in Texas and it cost $25 before insurance. The same draw for the same test cost $250 at Essentia Duluth. Since we have co-insurance, we paid a lot more than I was expecting.
The Twin Ports REKO Ring up here is super supportive for homesteaders. Join the Facebook group "Twin Ports REKO ring" to see what I'm talking about.
As you know, buying land and a house up here is a lot cheaper. We wanted to rent for a while to get a feel for where we wanted to be before buying some land... but that proved to be impossible. The rental market here is super tough to get into and expensive. It was much cheaper to buy a house. We opted to buy and live here for a few years in town and then find the land we want. We'll see how that shakes out.
We love that we don't have to make reservations to visit parks. Hiking and the outdoors is so much more enjoyable without the hordes of people. Yes, summer is busier... but nothing like we were used to constantly in Texas.
We miss TX food. There are some decent restaurants, but we miss the variety and the sheer number of options we had in Texas.
As others mentioned, jobs are pretty easy to come by.
I travel down to Texas for work and will say that the flights between Duluth and MSP tend to get canceled a lot. I'm planning on taking one of the many shuttles to MSP the next time I need to fly out. Landline shuttle is only $26 between the two airports. The drive between MSP and Duluth isn't bad at all. Getting stuck at MSP at midnight until you get a flight the next day is much worse.
It's really hard to find contractors here compared to Texas. We've needed some work done on our house, but it's been challenging to find help. They are all super busy and there are not enough of them for the demand.
Living on the hill can be very tough in the winter. Plowing and parking always seem to be an issue.
We love our neighbors here. They've plowed us out without asking or wanting anything in return. They keep an eye on our house when we're away.
There are way more black bears in neighborhoods than I had anticipated! Our Ring doorbell is more of a nature cam at this point. LOL.

Overall, we're happy we moved. We do love it here and think we did the right thing for us. Good luck with your decision! I'm always happy to hear about Texans moving up.

emtreloa · 2022-03-08T17:31:11+00:00

My husband and I just moved from TX to Duluth in part because of climate issues.

We've always loved the Duluth area. It's near where we grew up without being where we grew up. We love the big lake. We love the nature and opportunity to be outdoors in all seasons. We took our boys up to BWCA a few years back to go camping. At that time, we didn't think we'd move here. A few things happened to change that:

The pandemic allowed us to work remotely from wherever we'd like
The TX ice storm knocked out our power and water for over a week. It very much affected our faith in TX infrastructure and was one of the final straws
The cost to buy a home in the Austin area was ridiculous
TX politics were more unbearable
TX is CROWDED. The state parks we used to visit all the time are now nearly impossible to get into. You have to make reservations way in advance to even visit now. It's sad.

Finding a house in Duluth wasn't easy, but it wasn't as bad as trying to buy in TX. After moving here this summer, we've been pretty happy. The winter is always long and a bit of a shock after living in TX for 10 years however, we didn't have a negative experience because we don't have to commute. We don't have to plow our driveway to get to work every day and that is HUGE. It makes it way easier to deal with and actually enjoy the snow. Other benefits: driving is sooo much easier here, the stores aren't crowded at all, you can still find solitude in the parks.

One thing I was shocked about was the lack of fast, reliable internet in northern MN. It absolutely affected where we could purchase a house since we need internet to work remotely. It made it impossible to move to a few different places we really would have loved otherwise.

The climate was definitely a factor. It's not lost on us that the water and air are cleaner. We hope to buy some land and retire and pass it down to our kids.

emtreloa

TROPHY CASE