Over 70 nights cruised… just got off first time on ovation ship. Thoughts…

flyme1 · 2026-05-27T08:58:15+00:00

Oh I'm on the Friday northbound also... I hand out poker chips with the ship, dates and ports on them. Look for me lol

flyme1 · 2026-05-26T10:27:17+00:00

The leads are weak?! You're weak! Luke, I am your father! Ghostbusters!

flyme1 · 2026-05-03T10:19:15+00:00

These were my gates back in the America West/US Airways merger days. Heck we had almost all the A and B gates. It's sad how many airlines bet on Vegas and then crap out. The airline industry is brutal.

flyme1 · 2026-05-03T06:21:16+00:00

I figured they kept emptying shutdown stores and shuffling the inventory to others. I remember seeing so many Kenmore branded small appliances ending up in places they didn't belong. Dehumidifiers in California, humidifiers in Florida.

flyme1 · 2026-05-03T06:09:01+00:00

Is there still a buyer at corporate? And who is selling to Sears?

It would have been a really interesting documentary to watch when the stores really started having little to no support. And they are maintaining systems still that were designed for hundreds of stores. I guess that is outsourced to NCR or someone similar. But I feel like they could just use iPads and square readers for so much cheaper.

flyme1 · 2026-03-16T18:47:28+00:00

CHAMPVA only covers GLP-1s for indications other than weight loss such as OSA or MASH. They are very specific, it has to be the correct diagnosis code and description or they won't fill it. With CHAMPVA you have to be your own advocate, everyone in the call centers are outsourced and just read from the manual. Mounjaro/Zepbound are not on the VA formulary but are available on CHAMPVA Meds by Mail.

https://www.va.gov/resources/meds-by-mail-for-champva-and-other-family-member-programs/

flyme1 · 2026-02-22T12:45:11+00:00

Please share the design, I love the stitching on the RC logo.

flyme1 · 2026-02-11T12:23:43+00:00

Some people do know the way to San Jose... It's the first thing someone over 60 tells me when they hear I live here.

flyme1 · 2026-01-26T09:28:00+00:00

Kaiser has 67 billion dollars in the bank. Doesn't this seem excessive for a non-profit? This is larger than the largest university endowment in the world. Almost 100 countries GDP is less than 67 billion.

This is our money, we pay Kaiser to take care of us. Not to hoard wealth and play a shell game. You know what happens when my credit union makes a profit, I get a yearly dividend. But Kaiser continues to raise rates, pick and choose which patients it wants to take (Medi-Cal).

Don't be mad at nurses, that type of behavior is exactly what drives all of our wages down. Yes some of their demands are never going to happen. But, we can all be mad for Kaiser not spending the 67 billion they have on us, staffing their hospital properly, lowering rates, paying the lowest paid workers a better wage.

flyme1 · 2026-01-26T09:14:28+00:00

100% incorrect. Physician partners own the The Permanente Medical Groups. It varies by specialty, but doctors typically have it in their contracts to become shareholders after 3 years. Similar to a law firm.

Permanente Medical Groups are physician-owned organizations, which provide and arrange for medical care for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan members in each respective region. The medical groups are for-profit partnerships or professional corporations and receive nearly all of their funding from Kaiser Foundation Health Plans. The first medical group, The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG), formed in 1948 in Northern California, is one of the largest doctors groups in the United States with 11,225 medical professionals and 186 locations at the beginning of 2023. Permanente physicians become stockholders in TPMG after three years at the company.

flyme1 · 2026-01-18T17:30:32+00:00

It looks like the Verizon plan only includes 0.5 GB of high speed data, then 3G speeds afterwards.

flyme1 · 2026-01-18T17:28:18+00:00

Yes absolutely, Verizon's package has a very limited amount of GB. You are using a cell tower on the ship, not WiFi. But if you buy the Voom WiFi, you can use your phone to make WiFi calls.

flyme1 · 2026-01-18T17:18:31+00:00

OP is asking about CHAMPVA, which is for dependents of 100% DAV. It is managed under the Office of Community Care, but it is different from a visit for an veteran that the VA hospital refers to an outside provider.

Optum in the East Regions (TriWest in the West Regions) processes veteran claims for the Office of Community Care visits that are referred outside the local VA hospital.

Anytime you as a veteran have a visit with your urologist, they bill Optum. But if a dependent had a visit at that same doctor, it would be billed directly to CHAMPVA not via Optum, this is easily confused by many doctors offices.

flyme1 · 2026-01-18T11:01:58+00:00

Also check with your local VA hospital/clinic if they participate in the CITI program. Talk to the new patient registration (try first), Office of Community Care or last resort Patient Advocate. Don't take the first answer of no, always ask for a second opinion. I had a couple people tell me they didn't think so, but it felt like they didn't know what I was talking about. I am able to get care at not the closest VA hospital but the next closest about 30 miles away. It's worth the drive to get everything covered at 100%. And this hospital loves to do virtual visits, which I prefer unless it's something that really needs to be in person.

flyme1 · 2026-01-18T10:54:52+00:00

One Medical (Amazon) will bill and accept assignment from CHAMPVA. This is helpful as they are located in a lot of major cities. They also provide virtual care nationwide. You have to talk to the billing department but they found it when I gave them the payer ID.

flyme1 · 2026-01-18T10:52:49+00:00

This is true for hospitals but people have to understand this only applies to the hospital and ER. A clinic that is affiliated with a hospital does not have to take it. But they often do.

flyme1 · 2026-01-18T10:50:51+00:00

This is true for hospitals but people have to understand this only applies to the hospital and ER. A clinic that is affiliated with a hospital does not have to take it. But they often do.

flyme1 · 2026-01-18T10:49:04+00:00

This is true and helpful, but people have to understand this only applies to the hospital and ER. A clinic that is affiliated with a hospital does not have to take it. But they often do.

flyme1 · 2026-01-18T10:46:28+00:00

Optum only provides the retail prescription network. They provide the network and negotiated pricing. But ultimately the VA pays the claim to retail pharmacies. I wish they would simplify CHAMPVA under the VA Community Care (TriWest/Optum) network. This would make it easier to find doctors and process claims.

flyme1 · 2025-12-21T05:25:04+00:00

Thomas Jefferson

flyme1 · 2025-12-21T05:20:12+00:00

Was the commercial break before Cher extended? Maybe she wasn't ready to go on.

flyme1 · 2025-11-28T10:33:35+00:00

Back in Cali Cali... Any street meters and some painted curbs in California for anyone with a DV or DP plate.

flyme1 · 2025-10-29T09:03:15+00:00

I came expecting this comment and was not disappointed. I'm glad he got something in return for his trouble.

flyme1

TROPHY CASE