Soap Boxes

I finally feel like I've got my head above water. Its been a crazy week... but I made it to Friday! Phew.

I just have a few things I'd like to rant about for a minutes.

First, always check your records and ask questions when dealing with insurance companies, especially health insurance. I've heard so many horror stories about insurance companies or doctors offices making billing code errors. If you were supposed to be charged a co pay and ended up being charged for an MRI... that would stink, right? Imagine if you were supposed to be billed for an MRI and you were billed for a major surgery. It's happened. My issue wasn't major, but we got a bill for Nathan's 'fertility' analysis. It even said on the bill, "per your insurance company charges for fertility testings, treatment, article insemination, (etc.) are not covered under your plan." Now I called twice before Nathan had the test and specifically asked if fertility testing and semen analysis was covered under our plan. Both times, yes. So I called Cigna today to figure out what was with the bill. Turns out it was a simple coding error. All we owe is an office visit copay. This was just a confirmation I will be verifying coverage before everything and verifying the accuracy of the bill.

Secondly, we were reminded of how little we care for Midland, Michigan. If you already saw Nathan's blog, you know what I'm talking about. Below is an article that was published in the paper promoting the newspaper traveling photo gallery... here it is:

The Midland Daily News photo team is among the nationwide elite in its field.

The National Press Photographers Association has named Daily News Photo Editor Ryan Wood third best in the country for 2008, right behind photo editors from the Dallas Morning News and the Rocky Mountain News.

Nathan Morgan was The Michigan Press Photographers Association's choice for 2008 Photographer of the Year, along with Wood for Picture Editor of the Year.

You'll see some of the images the judges saw when you pay a visit to "Our Town," the traveling collection of Midland people, places and things shot by Midland Daily News photographers past and present.

In addition to Morgan and Wood, you'll see work from Brett Marshall, Kevin Benedict, Mandy McConaha, Briana Scroggins, Shaminder Dulai and John Tully.

Here's where you'll find "Our Town":

* April 1-30, Grace A. Dow Memorial Library Mezzanine. On Saturday, April 18, come to an open house from 6-8 p.m. to meet the current Midland Daily News photographers and discuss their work.

* May 13-24, Espresso Milano Coffee House, 137 Ashman St., Midland.

* June 22 through July 17, The Healing Arts Gallery, at MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland, 4005 Orchard Drive.

Morgan also won first place honors in the 2008 Michigan AP Editorial Association contest for the news picture "Flooding" and the feature picture "Marine Ball." Tully won third for his sports picture "Goal celebration" and Benedict won second for his "We are family" picture story.


27-yr. MDN subscriber wrote on Apr 11, 2009 1:13 AM:

" Ummm...would it be possible to actually have a newspaper write about NEWS? Touting that someone with a camera won some award that no one cares about is NOT NEWS! Oh, and should anyone else notice, the Rocky Mountain News that came in second in the editing dept....oh, they just went bankrupt, so does that mean that since the MDN won some worthless award, that they are next to go bottom up?

Holding a camera is not work. If someone that actually WORKS at the newspaper won an award, that would be NEWS.

Since the MDN decided that they must reduce the size due to cost issues, I would be perfectly happy with removing the silly pictures and actually using the space for NEWS. If I want to look at pictures, I will goto a museum. But I expect NEWS from my NEWSpaper!Pictures don't do anything for a NEWSpaper other than waste spacek, where NEWS could be placed.

What is so much worse is the ego factor, in that Wood and Morgan seem so full of themselves that its just sickening. If they were so important to NEWS, they would not be working for a smal town paper like the MDN, but at something artsy-fartsy (where people actually care about pictures instead of NEWS, perhaps in san fran?) "



Yeah. I was speechless. Nathan has developed some thick skin... he was able to laugh it off. It boiled my blood. This person is obviously a loser. A plain old ignorant, loser. I would love for that person to show up at the Gallery opening and say that crap in person. I think I'd throw the first punch! Who feels so compelled to write such a hateful comment? I see and read plenty of stuff that I don't like or agree with, but never have I thought, hmmm I think I should personally attack that person. Sigh.

I think that should be enough for now.

On a much more positive side, I hope everyone has a great weekend with beautiful spring weather! I think the flowers are finally beginning to think about making an appearance! I'm just looking forward to finally being able to relax and spend some time with my hubby. Bye for now.