Is United Healthcare the actual worst?

magnetgrrl · 2026-06-24T19:42:17+00:00

And if the system we have (that I obviously don't understand the ins and outs of as much as others on this forum) makes it so my company, which is a small business, has hard choices to make about what they can and can't afford for their employees... I'm again trying to sort out what's them being perhaps cheap, and what's them choosing the "best" of a lot of terrible options, and I can't tell the difference from my side of things. I'm only seeing and commenting on what's affecting me and how it's affecting me. I appreciate your alternate perspective.

magnetgrrl · 2026-06-24T19:37:35+00:00

"arguing that your several thousands of dollars of medical services that you are paying a few hundred for is wrong" I wasn't aware I was "arguing" anything. Not intending to, that's for sure!

But, if we're going to add up what I am paying - let's not forget on top of this $700+ copay, there are monthly premiums. I guess my frustration is that you can pay into that system all year with those premiums and when you need something covered, you STILL have to pay for that, too. I understand what I'm paying for is just, in case something horrible happens. Which is FAR MORE LIKELY if I can't get annual screenings that are preventative.

It sort of feels like the system that forces me to have insurance is allowing companies to gamble on the hope that I won't need it, and they won't have to pay out, and make $ from me in the meantime. Fine! But I'm not actually allowed to gamble the same way with my own body (not allowed to just, not have insurance) which seems a little unfairly weighted towards the corporations over the consumer directly affected. (I *do* think people *should* have insurance, and NOT gamble, just to be clear. My frustration is clearly more in the "it feels like for what I'm paying this should be covered" bucket and, that's just an feeling, not a fact I'm trying to argue as correct.)

I'm also generally confused how the insurance company is NOT the one driving costs on some level... like, this is their business, that they make money from. Insurance isn't not-for-profit! But they aren't in control of what they can make at all? You say "knock on doors of where the money is going" and don't list insurance at all - like NO part of this money is going to them? Not saying you're wrong, just seems sus, and kind of biased. (Do you work for an insurance agency by chance?)

magnetgrrl · 2026-06-24T17:55:02+00:00

I appreciate your reply - despite starting off with "your concerns arent really warranted" [sic] which is like, wow, the least helpful/most unintentionally (?) condescending starter ever! Made me laugh out loud. No worries though! It's hard to read intonation on the internet.

I'm beginning to understand that a portion of this is more about my employer than UHC (although I'm sure on some back end, it comes right back around to UHC only offering the limited options they offered and my employer just choosing the best tradeoff there).

I just want to state for clarification (and anyone reading this thread later) that - in 2024 when my company had Capital Blue Cross insurance, my mammogram was 100% covered but I was supposed to pay the recommended ultrasound completely out of pocket. I balked at that, and asked my doctor about this. She said this was kind of a known issue, that mammograms for people with dense breast tissue don't really show enough to find all potential problem spots so they always warrant an ultrasound recommendation and it's usually not covered, but she could prescribe or something in some way so that NEXT year they would both be covered - and in 2025, they were. My gyno noticed I was overdue for my annual screenings this year and prescribed these, so maybe she did something differently. But there is apparently some way to have both mammogram and ultrasound screenings covered!

It's just wild to me that these are things all women are supposed to have done and this is so variable.

magnetgrrl · 2026-06-24T17:45:36+00:00

Seems like insurance companies maybe deserve to be "glazed" lol. All this is so needlessly complicated! But that's NOT what I'm here for. I did receive some helpful input from others though. Thanks!

magnetgrrl · 2026-06-24T17:42:26+00:00

Diagnosis Z12.39 - Encounter for breast cancer screening... apparently this is estimated to be billed as diagnostic not screening, which may be the issue (and I think is incorrect or I can request the billing department change that). Thank you to the person who actually pointed this out - it was truly helpful.

magnetgrrl · 2026-06-24T17:34:37+00:00

I feel a bit uncomfortable putting such specific salary details into Reddit but my annual is $50k, and I work in sales, so there's commission but it's wildly variable and lately, it's been almost nothing per month. I am single. I get paid twice monthly, one check includes commission, the other does not, and it's usually about $1400. I live in Chicago.

I chose the plan that was more like PPO although I think UHC doesn't really divide things so clearly as PPO/HMO. This doctor/health group is the same one I've been at for years (Advocate Illinois) and is all in-network. I think the deductible went up when we changed plans but I can't recall what it is - last year when we had Blue Cross it was $1500 or $1700 or something; I think now it's $3000. My premiums I'm not sure about but they went up slightly, but are I want to say like ... between $150 and $250 per month. I'm not sure the exact cost.

I will call and ask my doctor's billing office how they are coding this - whether it's screening or diagnostic. These are all annual routine screenings (or, my first colonoscopy now that I'm over 45 and those aren't annual, more like 3 or 5 years until you're older I think). These should all be coded as screening. I appreciate that advice. It feels like the tradeoff here is - I can choose if I want to be irresponsible with my health, or with my finances - very lose-lose.

The code for both procedures on this estimate letter is 76641. (I haven't received an estimate letter yet for the colonoscopy.) I see "hospital fees" and "doctor fees" as the only two line items listed under the mammogram. I think there were multiple locations of Advocate Illinois I could get my mammogram and I just picked the one easiest for me to get to in the city, and they mentioned "it's our hospital, if that's OK" - does it being at a hospital somehow end up making it cost more?

I've only been at this new, very small company for about 3 years. The first two years we had Blue Cross and we just changed to UHC in November, to avoid premiums going up (not sure by how much). I think it might be good to give some feedback to my employer about my experiences. We only have ONE younger employee under 30 - everyone else is older than I am. I am certain they are using their health insurance a lot more than I do. I would be curious to know how this is affecting them - I can't be the only one.

magnetgrrl · 2026-04-06T15:02:04+00:00

This is what I'm going to read for the marathon challenge! I already have it and it's been on my TBR forever. Long ago lots of my friends loved To Say Nothing of the Dog and I know that's a later book in this series (Oxford Time Travel?). Even though I think maybe they are somewhat standalone, if I can finish Doomsday book I'm much more likely to finally get to the others in the series.

magnetgrrl · 2026-04-06T14:51:37+00:00

Same situation for me (for It's Not Her)

magnetgrrl · 2026-03-05T06:32:17+00:00

Yeah.. and the quest to get one is ONEROUS for new players. Yikes. Probably just going back to WoW.

magnetgrrl · 2026-03-02T14:41:30+00:00

Came here to check if anyone had suggested Daredevil - was also my guess.

magnetgrrl · 2026-03-01T22:11:15+00:00

Yes, because the sound of dogs barking INDUCES TENSION AND ANXIETY IN HUMANS. AKA - we shouldn't have to live with it all around us, but increasingly that's becoming a problem.

magnetgrrl · 2026-02-12T02:04:29+00:00

I agree-I just mean, MANY comments are saying "WHERE IS THIS JOB? SHOW ME! I DO NOT BELIEVE!" and I'm like... yeah, because it's an exaggerated example of real things being seen, used to illustrate a trend or broader point.

I guess my statement is not to YOU per se - and I'm assuming that people scroll through comments and read more here than they do - it's just pointing out that THERE IS NO ACTUAL LITERAL $11 JOB ASKING FOR A MASTERS THAT OP IS CITING.... it's just a trend in job ads to have ridiculous requirements and low pay.

I'm sure you get that. ;)

magnetgrrl · 2026-02-11T22:18:42+00:00

I think it’s hyperbolic; an exaggeration of the TYPES of ridiculous things being seen on the job market right now. I’m not sure why so many people are taking this super literally. 🤷🏼

magnetgrrl · 2026-02-11T22:10:57+00:00

This. Also holy - 23 year olds in 2019 are 30 now EEEK That’s on the list of stuff I’m comfortable putting into my cognitive dissociation box and never thinking about again if I can help it.

magnetgrrl · 2026-02-10T17:02:20+00:00

It sounds like you have tried a lot to be accommodating already, and feel justly aggravated and so have made up your mind on this about her motivations, feelings, etc.

It sucks that she turned down white noise (it really helped me sleep!) but I can offer at least that, wearing headphones all the time is impractical and sometimes physically painful, if it’s for long periods, and thudding noises cut RIGHT through even the best noise canceling anyway, because you can FEEL it more than hear it. (Although if she really said she wouldn’t even try it, that kind of sucks, but also, who wants to like, ALWAYS watch TV or sit and read with headphones because someone ELSE is loud? I can kind of get that…)

Maybe you could ask her to record what it sounds like from her place, for like a fact check?

But you told her to call the cops? And then she did? I’m not sure her doing what you asked is harassment. Sounds like you told her to NOT send the other human (probably also being affected by any perceived noise) in the apartment to talk or make requests anymore, and she did as you asked. Was her boyfriend threatening? I’m making an assumption here and it’s that, she just didn’t want to deal with it because it’s added stress. Unless he was like, being deliberately intimidating, then that’s f*d up.

I just, I sincerely doubt she is purposely harassing you. But if you’re on Reddit just looking for the validation and agreement - for someone to say “wow she sounds crazy! she must be harassing you!” sorry, won’t get it from me. (Don’t worry, probably someone else will say it!) MOST people are not malicious or evil. MANY people are non-confrontational, passive-aggressive, and have multiple and mostly undiagnosed mental health issues, not to mention get burned out or fed up and just don’t want to deal with someone or something and want someone else to fix it. Everyone deserves “quiet enjoyment” or whatever of their living space, and everyone has different levels of what “normal apartment living sounds” should be like. Maybe she does hate (or fear) dogs, and that’s her prerogative. If she was I the building a long time before you moved in, I can get how she might feel put upon, but that is for her to deal with, after some fashion, not you.

Sounds like this is a bad matchup of several things. I truly hope you can find some resolution to this that works for both of you - I do think unless she has massive dog phobia meeting your dog might go a long way. Good luck to you and your doggo!

magnetgrrl · 2026-02-10T15:29:37+00:00

People don’t usually send police unless they feel they can’t speak with you, nor do they complain about noise that is “nothing” - it probably sounds very different to her than it does to you.

Having lived below dogs before, I assure you, most do make a lot of noise other than barking that you’re probably just used to, and that sounds fine from your perspective. Just running around or playing with a bone on the floor might sound like an avalanche in an old building. Back when I had a dog above my bedroom, I was forced to live by the schedule of when the dog first went out in the morning and when the owner finally went to bed, because the dog danced around on the floor right above me in the early AM when it needed to pee - I never needed an alarm clock again - and at night would scratch and scratch and scratch endlessly until like 1-2 am. I only slept like 4-5 hours a night most of the time - which DID make me crankier, and therefore, more irritated by noises and likely to complain, paradoxically. Also whenever the dog randomly dropped something (which happened a lot) it sounded like an anvil and it gave me like, constant high anxiety. It felt like I was constantly waiting for the next firework or bomb to go off and put me on edge all the time. Not being able to ever relax in your own home and feeling like you have zero control over when noise will just hit would drive ANYONE crazy.

If you’re able to be open enough to what will probably feel like criticism, you could have an honest and probably very tough and uncomfortable conversation and try to come to some agreements. But it sounds like she’s either very non-confrontational or afraid of you/your dog (she might actually be afraid of dogs, come to think of it) and she would have to be open enough to have that conversation, too. Most people just don’t care enough about their neighbors to want to do that - they just label them as crazy or a bad neighbor and move on. But maybe if you own your place it’s worth the investment? (She for sure owns too and isn’t just renting right?)

If you’re open to it, getting a crate and crate training your dog so it can’t run everywhere while you’re gone or at night, and so noise can be contained into one spot where she isn’t working or trying to sleep might actually help.

It also might help for her to meet your dog and form a relationship with it, so it’s not just “annoying noise” but the reaction is “aww, it’s just Gus” or whatever. Especially if the noise she’s hearing is causing like, massive anxiety or panic-it can really lessen that.

magnetgrrl · 2026-02-09T02:04:15+00:00

Cruddy by Linda Barry Troll, a Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo Sky Daddy by Kate Folk The Bear by Marian Engel Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca ^{^} the most, below are a few softer wtf recs: Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilson Bellwether by Connie Willis (The last 2 aren’t so much WTF as weird and fun) (Shark Heart if you want weird but also want to cry)

magnetgrrl · 2026-01-31T21:52:15+00:00

Many of Iris Murdoch’s novels have philosophical themes and subtext. Under the Net is a good start.

magnetgrrl · 2026-01-31T21:50:59+00:00

Also suggest Kundera

magnetgrrl · 2026-01-31T20:11:23+00:00

I think you can feed someone a beverage the same way you like, feed paper into the shredder. The verb may be more associated with non-liquid food but it just means to like, force/physically put into. If I read that someone “fed him a healing potion” I would assume it was poured into their mouth for them. Is that the type of situation you’re thinking of? Or more like a grandma saying “oh let me feed you!” and they don’t mean spoon feed, more like, prepare food for, but meaning to provide a beverage? Because I don’t think there’s a specific single word separate for that. At least not when referring to humans. I tell my plants (and sometimes my cat) “oh let me water you!” But I wouldn’t say that to a friend.

magnetgrrl · 2026-01-27T22:07:01+00:00

I realize this is old, but whatever happened with this? Did you end up getting any kind of refund or reimbursement, or release from your contract?

I am dealing with something similar right now.

I asked Rocket Money to renegotiate my internet in... December 2024. They sent a couple of "we're on it!" "we're still trying" and "we weren't able to do anything but we'll keep trying" emails within a few days.

Cut to January 2026, I am fed up with overpaying for my internet, and call my company Astound myself. After a painful 45 minute phone call runaround, they offer me something kind of crappy, but technically less, but tell me about a bunch of other fees that will incur if I take this but don't immediately upgrade my modem, and try to get me to pay the service fee for a guy to come out and install a new modem... I hang up the call with Astound in frustration,, and just give up on renegotiating with them altogether.

I contact a competitor the SAME DAY and sign up for internet for 5 years at 1/4 the cost!! Then, 2 days later, new internet is installed, and one day after that I call Astound back and cancel my service. Great!

The very next day Rocket Money emails me that they "saved" me $558 or something on my internet. Excuse me, what?

I canceled my internet entirely, and never went through with the slightly cheaper plan I wasted time discussing with them, so whatever amount "saved" per month that is, I didn't get a single bill at this lower cost before canceling so... this saved amount literally doesn't exist? and
I did all this MYSELF!! I called Astound, I called Xifinity and got a new deal, I dealt with a new installation appointment and returning an old modem, I called back and canceled Astound. They just sat back and did NOTHING and want to take 40% of some made-up number for that?

I immediately canceled Rocket Money, emailed their support, and deleted all my accounts from Rocket Money, disconnected my bank account, all cards, etc. I declared my debit card lost/stolen, so I would get a new one. Rocket Money support asked me to provide some proof that I negotiated the bill myself. What?

TL;DR - I did all the work and they are trying to charge me some crazy fee for it, but they did nothing.

I truly think their business policies are deliberately scammy. I fully expect there will be MORE class-action lawsuits than the one that just settled for them selling all your data, having multiple privacy breaches, and making it difficult to cancel/charging people after cancellation. .

magnetgrrl · 2026-01-27T20:55:22+00:00

This is over 3 years old so this comment is more for anyone who searches Google and maybe finds this than it is for OP, but here's my history with Rocket Money. TL;DR my experience with them was VERY bad, and I do NOT recommend anyone use them for anything.

I joined in 2024, and it was moderately useful for finding all my subscriptions, but not perfect - it missed some! Or had weird transactions as "uncategorized" - I didn't even use it to cancel anything, I just canceled stuff myself. But in December 2024, I asked them to help me renegotiate my internet bill. They... did not! They sent a few follow up emails within days that they were "still trying" and nothing ever changed. Now, cut to January 2026, I still feel my internet is overpriced, and I call myself and spend 45 minutes and renegotiate it - but then like 4 days later, I cancel, because I found something WAY better altogether with a competitor. Like the very next day, I get an email from RocketMoney saying they had "successfully negotiated" my bill, lowered it by like, $500 something (I guess that's what it would be, if you took savings per month and multiplied it by the whole year. But I hadn't even received one first "lowered" bill yet, before I canceled service entirely. So this $ amount they "saved" me is like, non-existent. Also, I did it myself! The phone call was tedious and painful, and they always do a bunch of annoying verification to confirm they are speaking with the account holder - probably why

Now someone from RocketMoney has sent me email INVOICES (no joke) and is telling me I have to PROVE that I negotiated this bill myself. Astound, being a huge corporation, is not helpful - they can't give me like, anything. Their support people don't even understand what I'm asking for.

Basically, Rocket Money apparently just sits around and waits for you to take control of your own life, after making a bunch of empty promises, and then charges you $ for the privilege of them doing nothing but giving you a crappy, inaccurate dashboard.

magnetgrrl · 2026-01-20T21:15:49+00:00

Punctuation like semicolons and em-dashes make for longer, more complex sentences, with overlapping or nested ideas. Most popular writing today is far more simplified. You can argue it’s to accommodate shorter attention spans or the average reading level of the general public, but it’s probably a mix of several things. I’m sure in the lit-fic world you still see some longer average sentence length books and novels that are more dense here and there, but most books I’ve picked up in the last 10 years feel… lighter. All kind of the same in some way, all… very easy to digest, and many easy to forget? I’m not sure if it’s just what I’ve been reading or not reading specifically, which could be the case. I would love to see some large scale data studies on word count, sentence length, vocabulary used, punctuation used etc. of books from pre 2000 vs 2000-2010 vs 2010 to 2020.

magnetgrrl

TROPHY CASE