Rage Baking

Yesterday after receiving yet another prior authorization denial, I started rage baking. I figured it was a healthier way to deal with the anger than sitting and ruminating on it. The first thing I baked was sourdough cinnamon and sugar toast cereal. Now Cinnamon Toast Crunch was my favorite cereal growing up, so I had to try it. The recipe was simple and it tasted so good. It’s something I’ll make again.

The next bake was a fast no-knead bread that would pair perfectly with the Osso Bucco the Hubby was making. The second rise was a little suspect, but the bread still cooked up nicely. While I proved the no-knead bread, for three hours, I whipped up some sandwich bread. By the time, the sandwich bread came out of the oven, the no-knead bread was ready for the oven. Both turned out well. The sandwich bread is a bit shorter than I’d like, but I’m not sure if it was the pan size or something with the dough. Fortunately, it tastes really good.

Now back to the issue of prior authorizations. They exist to prevent fraud, reduce costs, and eliminate unnecessary costs. While Cigna would be quick to sue you or put you in jail for insurance fraud, they had no qualms over scamming the Federal Government to increase Medicare payments. That’s right while Cigna gatekeepers and actively denies coverage to paying members, it’s been defrauding the Federal government. And yet our government continues to allow them to have a seat at the gravy train that is Medicare.

In fact, they had a home visit program solely designed to upcharge Medicare. They settled a lawsuit with the federal Government in September to the tune of $37 million. In a separate lawsuit, also settled in September of 2023, Cigna will have to pay the Federal Government $172 million. Cigna, according to the allegations in the suit, employed medical coders to review Medicare patient’s charges and add diagnoses that would be supported by the information therein. Essentially, they were diagnosing their insureds with as many conditions as possible to increase their reimbursement from the Federal Government.

I find it hysterical that Cigna got busted for adding fake diagnoses to bolster their Medicare payments while denying claims for folks with actual diagnoses. They like to have both ways. They’ll diagnose you, and take the reimbursement money, but they’re not going to approve your claims. It’s criminal.

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

The best compliment I’ve ever received was when my son told me I did a great job as a mom and that he’ll always take care of me.