Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anne B. on June 11, 2011 at 5:29pm

Wow, I wish I had some useful advice to give. I had a bike accident and lost some teeth but this was back in elementary school and my parents handled all the dental/endodontic fallout (although it has continued to be costly well into adulthood- I find that endodontics/crowns are often just covered at 50%). I find situations like this so infuriating because the medical bureaucracy is often not intuitive nor explained very well anywhere and yet everyone you deal with is exasperated if you're not well versed in it! Stuff like this (as well as general patient self advocacy) should be taught in high school or somewhere else. I think what you're doing in terms of documenting it and continuing to work on it is really all you can do. Good luck with it and please post any advice you have, hopefully after you're able to resolve it all!

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Permalink Reply by T.C. O'Rourke on June 11, 2011 at 5:50pm

I also have no practical advice, but I will say I've seen some busted up teeth get fixed up better than new.  Pretty amazing what they can do these days.

 

Hang in there, Joe.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on June 12, 2011 at 4:06am

I'm sorry this accident happened to you. Hang in there.

It's infurerating in a way to read you're blog, becuase it's obvious the system is so fucked up. I hope you can find your way through it with the help of a lawyer.

 

Please be careful when going into litigation with a slimy insurance corporation - your blog may provide them fodder and backfire. It'll be hard to avoid posting any negative comments and opinions that you might be liable for, that kinda stuff may complicate your claim process... Maybe there's some fine print somewhere in your policy against publicizing your claim.

 

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Permalink Reply by Joe Asbury on June 12, 2011 at 10:44am

Thanks, Anne. You make some good points. No one prepares you to advocate for yourself against organizations that we are taught to expect have our interests at heart. It's disappointing to say the least to learn otherwise.

Anne B. said:

Wow, I wish I had some useful advice to give. I had a bike accident and lost some teeth but this was back in elementary school and my parents handled all the dental/endodontic fallout (although it has continued to be costly well into adulthood- I find that endodontics/crowns are often just covered at 50%). I find situations like this so infuriating because the medical bureaucracy is often not intuitive nor explained very well anywhere and yet everyone you deal with is exasperated if you're not well versed in it! Stuff like this (as well as general patient self advocacy) should be taught in high school or somewhere else. I think what you're doing in terms of documenting it and continuing to work on it is really all you can do. Good luck with it and please post any advice you have, hopefully after you're able to resolve it all!

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Permalink Reply by Joe Asbury on June 12, 2011 at 10:51am

Those are very good points, Kevin. I was originally going to name the blog 'The Face of Humana' with my scowling, toothless mug at the forefront, but after some sage advice from a friend of mine, I thought better of it. Trademark infringement and all that. I have stuck to the facts with my blog and I can't see how writing about the facts can come back to bite me, but I guess you never know. I've also sent a link to the Sun Times and the Trib though I have no reason to believe it up. Maybe I will try the TV news networks next. Anyway, supposedly Humana is reviewing my appeal of their denial so perhaps they will see the light anyway.

All the best, Joe.
Kelvin Mulcky said:

I'm sorry this accident happened to you. Hang in there.

It's infurerating in a way to read you're blog, becuase it's obvious the system is so fucked up. I hope you can find your way through it with the help of a lawyer.

 

Please be careful when going into litigation with a slimy insurance corporation - your blog may provide them fodder and backfire. It'll be hard to avoid posting any negative comments and opinions that you might be liable for, that kinda stuff may complicate your claim process... Maybe there's some fine print somewhere in your policy against publicizing your claim.

 

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Permalink Reply by ChristopherMCA on June 12, 2011 at 12:31pm

I'm sorry that happened to you sir

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Permalink Reply by Joe Asbury on June 12, 2011 at 1:08pm

Thanks, Christopher.

ChristopherMCA said:

I'm sorry that happened to you sir

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Permalink Reply by Joe Asbury on June 12, 2011 at 1:08pm

Thanks, T.C.

T.C. O'Rourke said:

I also have no practical advice, but I will say I've seen some busted up teeth get fixed up better than new.  Pretty amazing what they can do these days.

 

Hang in there, Joe.

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Permalink Reply by Gin on June 12, 2011 at 1:28pm

I am sickened by the hurdles you are facing to receiving care, as well as being caught up in the horrible aftermath of Boub vs. Wayne Township. We need to address this liability issue, and perhaps better educate cyclists about the “two tiered” system.

Have you contacted Ben Joravsky at the Reader or John Greenfield who does bicycle reporting for many local pubs?

You might want to show up at the Bike to Work Week rally downtown this Friday morning with a big sign saying “Ask me about losing my teeth while biking on a metal grated bridge downtown. . .” or something more pithy. For, while we add facilities to some streets to help make them more bike friendly, we need to remember that the entire street network *is* the bicycle network.

I will keep spreading the word about this.

Gin

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Permalink Reply by Gin on June 12, 2011 at 1:59pm

Or maybe "Ask me why I still love cycling, even after loosing 3? 9? teeth to a metal grated bridge." (I sometimes struggle to know when/where to lead with love vs anger. . .)

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Permalink Reply by Ricky Rosado on June 12, 2011 at 2:25pm

For what it's worth, you might want to consider submitting this to The Fixer.   The Fixer runs a column in the Sun-Times newspaper for issues just like this.   Check it out http://www.suntimes.com/news/zimmermann/index.html and http://www.suntimes.com/forms/fixer/.

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Permalink Reply by Gin on June 12, 2011 at 2:49pm

And the Trib's version is the Problem Solver: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/problemsolver/ct-biz-0612-pr...

Ricky Rosado said:

For what it's worth, you might want to consider submitting this to The Fixer.   The Fixer runs a column in the Sun-Times newspaper for issues just like this.   Check it out http://www.suntimes.com/news/zimmermann/index.html and http://www.suntimes.com/forms/fixer/.

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