Mental Health in America

Since this most recent shooting was a white homegrown terrorist (unless another mass shooting happened since then which is totally possible), we finally get to pretend to talk about mental health treatment in America!

In an effort to distract from the fact that this jagoff had a weapon that shouldn't exist outside serious military engagements and video games, some Republicans have actually been bringing up mental health. It also distracts from how much money these assholes take from the NRA.

I haven't seen any actual suggestions or even a basic understanding of mental health treatment.

Let's talk about insurance! The Mental Health Parity Act was passed in 1996. This was to try to have insurance plans cover mental health on a more equal basis. Good, right? Nope.

There were originally three exemptions: no mental health coverage at all, businesses with less than 50 employees, or if you could document that there was more than a 1% increase in the cost of your plan due to the parity. Super. That definitely doesn't solve the problem.

In 2010, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was passed to deal with the loopholes in the prior act. Including the fact that substance addiction wasn't included. Are there still issues? Of course.

The government thought in 1998 that mental health was something we needed to deal with. And companies did all they could do to not cover it.

How many mass shooting do you think happened between 1998 and 2010? Wikipedia says 56.

What is on this list? Columbine. Virginia Tech. Fort Hood.

I am obviously not a mental health expert, but there was something wrong with these murderers.

In addition to the lack of insurance coverage, there is also the stigma around seeking help. People joke all the time about taking crazy pills or seeing a shrink. Like it isn't a good thing. Like getting help is something to be ashamed of.

It took me years to go see anyone. Years that I definitely should have been. Because I was afraid of what people would think. Because didn't think I had any "real" problems. Because medication isn't something strong people need to do.

There is nothing wrong with seeing a mental health professional. There is nothing wrong with going on medication. There is nothing wrong with trying to get and stay better.

Mental health treatment and stigma *is* a serious issue in America, but let's talk about it seriously and not as a distraction from our appalling lack of gun control.

Survived Busy Season!!!

This is the worst time of year for anyone who works in insurance. When the ACA was upheld, groups were given the option to renew in December to keep their plans. So a *ton* of groups moved to December. Awesome. Nothing said "Happy Holidays" quite like being insanely busy and crying over spreadsheets (technically I only cried once this year... My story and I'm sticking to it!). It's like tax season for accountants.

 Honestly, if I never see another spreadsheet again in my life, it will be too soon. Spoiler alert: I will see one in than 12 hours.

They seem so easy.

Look at a quote and add numbers.

But somehow it isn't. The formatting is off. Then the numbers don't round. And how did I miss that all the copays are after the deductible?! Did I spell deductible right? How many times can I look at a word before I forget how to spell it? I literally don't know if I'm spelling Silver correctly. Does that say Silver or Sliver? Sliver plan sounds cooler anyway! I had to Google how to get an ampersand in the header (FYI, you put two of them in a row and Excel only shows one). WHY IS THIS TAB DEFAULTED TO BE 8 PAGES WIDE??

Also, I am generally in favor of the ACA. But individual rates make my eyes bleed. Groups under fifty (who didn't grandmother) have a rate for each age. It isn't too bad usually, but when the group is getting close to fifty, it is insane. This number limit doesn't include dependents by the way (although you only pay for 3 children under 20). So you can have a group with thirty employees but end up with seventy rates. I have literally had someone give me a correction and not be able to see what is wrong even when it is written down for me! 632 looks just like 682 when you're on chart number 45 of the season.

 I probably would have completely lost my damn mind if it wasn't for the people I worked with. It's so nice to have people you trust being able to help. And the fact that everyone asks if you need anything before they leave and it isn't just a weird courtesy is awesome. Plus, it's nice to have people who understand what is going on. I love Caleb, but I think his eyes glaze over when I complain about hard v soft mandatory generic. Which is 100% understandable.

We made it to the other side though. Everyone is still speaking to each other. During my sabbatical I missed last busy season, so I wasn't *quite* prepared for how it was going to turn out. I'll be ready for next busy season!

Happy One Year Anniversary to Me!

Exactly one year ago today, my position at my last job was eliminated. The unchaperonedwhitegirl added funemployed to her title. It would be super easy to turn this into a post complaining about what happened, how hard it was to find a job, and how insurance can be the Dark Ages. But that's boring.

It has been a crazy fun year!

I traveled (which I will be doing again soon - booked a birthday trip to Chicago!). I got to my goal weight. I can do a headstand and crow pose. Caleb survived being married to me for a year. I made new friends. I work somewhere that doesn't involve me crying in my car. WE PAID OFF MY STUDENT LOANS!!!



I learned a lot about myself in the past year. I used to hate doing things alone. Like, I wouldn't go get a beer alone because I felt weird being sitting by myself at a bar. I don't suffer from that anymore. I'm pretty good at yoga. I recently discovered that I like metal. I am obsessed with crop tops and rompers.

It was scary and weird at the time, but my life has improved so much in the last year. Also, I think I handled the entire situation super cool. Not just the sabbatical itself, but the event. I didn't cry or anything. Which is probably the only thing it would have made sense to cry about in the about 5 years I was there.

My position being eliminated is one of the best things that ever happened to me.

Is Being Alive a Pre-Existing Condition?

Unless you live under a rock, you have heard about the House narrowly passing the "Repeal and Replace" law.


My area is employee benefits. Basically, lines that cover you. Health, dental, vision, life, etc, etc, etc. I know what the hell I'm talking about with benefits insurance!

The Repeal and Replace is a shitshow. I'm not going to get into the individual mandate. The subsidies. Medicaid. Not right now. I'm sure as the law moves to the Senate, there will be entirely new and scary things to talk about that with those. For now, I want to talk about pre-existing conditions.

Warning - this is going to be boring for a few sentences. Short version - pre-ACA, plans were medically underwritten. This means that when your company said "Hey! We want to try to change carriers" you would have to fill out a medical questionnaire. It's a detailed medical history on you and any of your dependents who would want to be covered. It asks about surgeries, medications, hospitalizations, height/weight, and pretty much anything else you can think of. If you wanted to be on the company plan, you filled out the form. Don't want to? Too bad. Not an option.

The underwriters would rate based on the forms. You have a company with a lot of women of child bearing age? Rates are going up! You have people with chronic conditions and medications? Rates are going up! You have someone who needs an organ transplant? You better hope they die because those rates are going to skyrocket!

Carriers could refuse to cover medications and treatments because they were a pre-existing condition. We're not always talking things like Hepatitis or HIV or cancer (although, can you imagine having one of those and not being able to get insurance because you have the diagnosis?). Things like depression, epilepsy, diabetes, panic disorders, and tooth disease could make you ineligible. I talked about it already - the scene in Saw VI.

Let's use me as an example. I've had root scaling and planing done, and I'm on a maintenance mental health medication.

Root scaling and planing is a non-surgical periodontal treatment. Short version - I was lazy as hell at brushing and flossing so the seal between my gums and teeth didn't exactly work. It looks super awful and painful if you Google it (which I did do because I'm a moron), but it really helped. My teeth felt amazing after! I've also tried not to get myself back in that same place. It could be used to deny treatment to me.

I'm on a drug whose on-label use is for epileptic children. It's one of those general anxiety diagnoses. (Note: the ACA made mental health and substance abuse treatments "essential health benefits" so more people were able to access the treatment they need.) It could be used against me. That medication would show up on an MQ. If I lie on the MQ? If I just forget about it because who can remember everything like that? I'm getting the Saw VI treatment. Like there isn't enough stigma about mental health.

Educating ourselves and each other is the only way to make it through this alive. Not even joking about the alive part because losing health care can and will kill people. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to make sure America doesn't go directly to hell. We seem to be taking the scenic route.

Rage on Behalf of Planned Parenthood - PA Senate Bill 300 Edition!

I don't know how I am continually surprised by the attacks on Planned Parenthood, but somehow I still am. I think, on some level, I actually believe that people want to do the right thing and help each other. SB 300 shows me just how wrong I am.

What's SB 300 for the 2017-2018 year? A bunch of bullshit. I hadn't heard of Senator John Eichelberger before, but he's exactly the type of guy who would sponsor something like this. Oh, and he's in insurance. Shocker.

What does he claim the bill would do? Senator Asshole would categorize women's health clinics, hospitals, etc in order to change how they receive funding. He says that it will "will favor more conventional healthcare providers over unconventional provider."

What the bill would do in reality? It's going to take away care from those who use Medicaid and other federal services. All the grandstanding politicians do (and let's be honest, it's mostly men. Men without vaginas. Right.) about savings lives is bullshit. Taking away access to preventive health care isn't going to save anyone's life. Women who need to see doctors for pap smears, gynecological exams, STD testing, mammograms, and a variety of  other essential services will have it taken away.

One of the things that really grinds my damn gears is that federal dollars LITERALLY CANNOT BE SPENT ON ABORTION SERVICES. Not even white girl literally. Actual fucking literally. The Hyde Amendement - read up! I haven't ever heard anyone properly explain why defunding Planned Parenthood would help.* I always hear random blustering about abortions that convince me that the person speaking has never even read a single thing about Planned Parenthood.

Getting back to Senator Asshole, after the Pennsylvania Senate Finance Committee voted his bill out of committee he said he doesn't even know what services Planned Parenthood provides.

Let me repeat that: the man who is sponsoring a bill that would make Planned Parenthood a category 4 provider and take away funding doesn't even know what they fucking do.

I don't even have words or expressions for the level of rage I feel about that. I'm so angry that I'm calm. It's even scarier. Where the fuck does this jagoff come from that he thinks he doesn't need to do any kind of research into what he is doing? I bet he believed the Onion article about the abortionplex was real. That's probably what prompted him to do this.

Oh, and he told a female reporter "Alright, I'm done with you." Just in case you thought he just hated Planned Parenthood and wasn't a huge misogynist.

I'm going to channel my rage into something constructive. Call your legislators. Donate money to Planned Parenthood. Donate time by volunteering. Educate people on what is going on. Don't accept the things we cannot change, change the things we cannot accept.

*Want to know more about how funding works for Planned Parenthood? Learn how federal funding at Planned Parenthood works!

Survived Week One!

I made it through my first week at the new job!

I didn't forget how to office which was nice. It was super odd to have to go somewhere that wasn't here every single day. Even if I only had to work a full day for two days of the week. It was a nice way to segueway back to the working world!

It is very strange to be back in the game. The weirdest part is that they seem to respect me and value my experience. I already have groups that I am working on myself. They ask me questions about what I think. We are looking at new online systems, and I am part of the webinars to talk about what I know. Although I do have a soft spot for one system already...

I'm feeling good about this place so​ far. There are women who actually get a say in things (so that is off to a good start). They don't micromanage to the point of madness. And they let me pick my hours!

I will keep my eyes open to make sure I don't become a frog again. But I have hope!

I did treat myself after my first week - something interesting!

The Unchaperoned White Girl is no longer funemployed!

That's right! I'm officially rejoining the workforce on Monday!

I'm venturing back into the fabulous world of insurance (although for a much less sexist company I hope) and staying on the broker side. I've heard brokers have more fun anyway...


How I ended up with this job is really strange. I did a phone interview with an HR firm for a job I was totally unqualified for as it turns out (needed like 7 years of supervisory experience). The woman said that I wasn't qualified (which I agree with), but she said she said I was bright, articulate, and fun to talk to and would I mind if she sent my resume to a few people she knows. I obviously did not mind. She set up a meeting for myself and the owner for two days later.

Part of their interview process is taking a DiSC assessment. I hate those online personality tests. The answers are never good, and you end up looking like a crazy person. Change of pace - I got a copy of the results! What were my results? As my friend Mike said, "I feel like it would have been easier to write 'We've determined you're a sociopath, but it's cool we're kinda down with that in business practice'."

I scored high in the Influence dimension. That doesn't sound too bad, right? That can be a good thing. Then they show you the words you match with in each of the four categories. A few choice ones I got: domineering, demanding, restless, stubborn, defiant, obstinate, and tactless. To quote the great Cordelia Chase "Tact is just not saying true stuff." They then asked me how I felt about all these words. I feel like that piece of the interview is just seeing how you react to that!

The DiSC is interpreted too - you don't just get those fun word lists! You get things like "Often, you can be quite charming and convince people to do what you want by the strength of pure likability. At other times, however, you may employ obvious intimidation to get your point across." Or "Your colleagues probably admire and like you. However, you may still have the potential to strike fear into others." And "You may believe that your well-established ability to convince and direct people helps keep you moving forward. In addition, you may not want anyone to view you as weak, so you may strive to keep your intimidation skills sharp."

Short version of this test? It's a Sorting Hat, and I'm in Slytherin.



I hope to take everything that I learned from my last position and from the last six months of unemployment and apply it to my new job. I've learned a lot about myself and what I think about and need in other people. Gotta keep those intimidation skills sharp!

Three Pieces of the Affordable Care Act

Of the many sins the Republicans have been committing recently, the gutting and repealing of the Affordable Care Act is one of the more reprehensible. The ACA has made it possible for so many Americans to get coverage and treat their medical issues. Before I worked in insurance, I had no idea how messed up and awful the system was (honestly - who really wants to think about insurance if they don't have to?). When I first started at my last job, the ACA was still in progress. I was in the office (albeit at the front desk) the day SCOTUS made their judgement in 2012. I saw them uphold the unlimited lifetime maximum on health plans, the age 26 coverage, and the no pre-existing condition limitations. If you don't work in insurance, you may not understand what a big damn deal this was. And even if you do understand, you may not realize exactly how you benefit from it.

Prior to the ACA, most plans had about a $1 million dollar maximum. That is all a plan would pay in your lifetime. That sounds like a ton of money, but when you get into anything that requires ongoing medication or treatment, it really isn't. Before the ACA, you didn't have these yearly annual and gynecological exams covered at 100% so you were paying those. Think about how much it costs to have a baby. To get cancer treatment. To get a transplant. You think $1 million your whole life is going to cover that? Quetzalcoatl help you if you had conditions that were going to need maintenance medication and visits.

The age 26 coverage is life changing. I think a lot of the hate on this is the typical Millennial hate - why don't you get a job with coverage and get off your parents' plan? Bad Boomer job advice is a whole other topic, but there are so many of us who went to college, worked, and now find ourselves unemployed or employed without the option of healthcare. Pre-ACA, Pennsylvania had something called Act 4. Act 4 would allow, in certain circumstances, dependents to be covered up to age 30. The insurance industry nicknamed it "The Slacker Act." Even people who benefit from this coverage don't understand it. After the ACA passed, someone I knew from college posted on Facebook about how much she hated it and how it was a bad system - blah, blah, blah. Someone else brought up the fact that she was on her parents' insurance and how much it had helped her - she wouldn't have been able to get coverage like that or have her health issues cared for without it. She said it was different for her to be covered. It's always different, isn't it?

Pre-existing conditions. Does no one understand what pre-existing conditions are?! An easy way to explain this is the movie Saw VI (spoilers ahead for a movie from 2009)! Jigsaw was out of people to hate by this point, so we went after predatory lenders and insurance companies. I'm not saying he's wrong, but it was a bit out of left field at this point. We see a flashback where a character is told his claim is being denied because of a pre-existing condition. Does that sound totally insane and horrible to you? Good, it should. But this is something that can happen without that pre-existing condition limitation. You fill out a form with your medical history, and if someone can find that you forgot about something, you can be denied even after the fact. Admitting it doesn't help - companies would just refuse to cover you. We aren't just talking about denials due to big claim costs like cancer or hemophilia - you could be denied for a previous heart attack, mental health hospitalization, diabetes, epilepsy, or oral surgery. For some people, it was better to not have a diagnosis because then they couldn't be be denied coverage. It was a system that kept the sick away from treatment.

Those are just three pieces of the ACA that helped millions of people. It's incredibly maddening to see people post on social media about how awful the ACA when they are benefiting from it or have no idea exactly what they hate. I was barely in insurance before the ACA, and even I can remember how awful it was if you weren't perfectly healthy. We can't go back there.