Robyn Anderson

Today I picked up a copy of a referral my doctor made to a specialist. It contained the reason for the referral and some information regarding the problem i.e. the usual stuff you’d expect your doctor to send to a specialist when they want them to be well-informed and to not kill me. The reason I wanted a copy of this was for my medical insurance company – the one I am paying a kings ransom too. I am hoping to retrieve back a tiny portion of the money I spent having my ‘problem’ sorted. Minus the excess of course so we’re really talking next to nothing. But there is a principle here. I assume their request for the referral letter alongside the invoices and receipts from the specialist is to make sure I had a genuine complaint and that it wasn’t just my idea. The problem I have is that the copy of the referral letter showed all my so-called problems and all my medications and identified a family member with the same complaint. Now that’s not information I think my medical insurer needs to know. I suppose I could’ve gone back to the Dr and requested a cut and paste but instead, I consulted the insurance broker and with their permission, have spread half a bottle of white out over the stuff I think they don’t need to know. I would like to think they’re not the sort of insurance company who would read my ‘problems’ and adjust the premium accordingly but… I live in Christchurch where the word insurance can spark conversations that last for days. We have all seen the dark, manipulative, delaying, avoiding and reprehensible side of insurance companies. I can replace a bottle of white-out. And yes, I did hold the document up to the light and added a further coat to the other side!

The other thing that’s too much is the crap that comes into my spam and my promotions box. How many requests to extend my male organ or retrieve my bonus or check my bank account can one person receive in a day? Put it this way, if I were a man I’d have at least 20 of those things women don’t have.

And too little.. I have been’awarded’ lounge passes by Air New Zealand. I have to use them within 12 months. One per Air NZ flight though I can take a friend into the lounge with me. I got excited. I’ve had some in the past. They open the door to comfortable seats, wonderful toilets and showers, but mainly free food and unlimited alcohol while you wait for your flight to be called. I’m flying to Brisbane next week. Couldn’t be more timely, I thought. Until I saw it excluded Christchurch! So thanks Air New Zealand. You do that to everyone’s home town or just ours?