AMBULANCE

I couldn’t believe it! The bill read $709.

On Dec. 30, 2008, I had experienced 3 strange, little blackouts during the day lasting about a minute. By 9:00 in the evening, I became concerned. What if I had a few mini strokes? And so, I googled strokes and learned that a patient should get to the hospital right away in the case of a stroke. The first episode occurred about 2:30 and over six hours had passed. Guess I better hurry to the hospital, I thought. I quickly packed a few things, including my laptop, cause who knew how long I might be in the hospital, and called 911.

The ambulance arrived and took me to the hospital. The doctor performed a couple tests but fortunately could find nothing wrong. He attributed the occurrences to an altered mental state, told me to schedule a follow-up appointment in April, and then sent me home. I followed his advice and had an MRI, plus an ultra-sound which both showed no problems.

Of course I was relieved and shouldn’t complain. But the bill I received from the ambulance company, $709, was a total shock. I had expected that Medicare and my supplemental insurance policy would cover it, though obviously they didn’t. And so you can bet that first thing tomorrow morning I’ll make a few calls to inquire. However, I can only guess they will reinforce what I already know. I owe $709. Next time I’ll call a taxicab.

By Hannah --www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY

When I opened my January bill, I couldn’t believe that my gas and electric costs had jumped to $240. Of course I live in Wisconsin and we continually face bitterly cold temperatures in the winter, but $240 seemed outrageous. I called a few neighbors, but they all said their bills had also sky rocketed. So I lowered my temperature a couple more degrees each night when I went to sleep, kept it cooler during the day, and when I remembered I lowered the thermostat upon leaving my house for several hours or more. I assumed I would see a reduced amount on my February bill. However, I saved only $14. The bill had dropped to only $226.

I called the gas company to inquiry, but they simply told me we had an unusually cold February. Fine I thought, I could accept that reasoning except, as everyone knows gas prices have plummeted since last summer. So logically, my cost should be a bit lower at least. I then asked for a comparison of my current bills to that of a year ago. Lo and behold, in Jan. 2008, my bill was $100 less and in Feb. 2008, it was $60 less. Obviously, something here needs to be checked. And so in two weeks they will inspect my furnace. But I will not be happy until I have received some money back. Perhaps I should send some photos to my website, www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions to win some money.