Health care as good as postal service

[drmeow]

I just had an experience which makes me wish that we had health care as good as the postal service. I packaged up a large envelope; ordered, paid for, and printed a label on-line with postage for Priority Mail; and dropped the envelope in the outside collection bin at the local post office before the last pick-up on Sat (5 pm, I believe) as I ran errands (didn't even have to get out of my car). I asked to get e-mail confirmation of delivery (for free). My envelope was processed in Tempe/Phoenix by noon on Sunday, arrived in Pittsburgh at 4 am today, and was delivered by 11 am this morning! All for $4.80. Yes, the post office does sometimes screw up ... and it often makes big news when it does. But when I think about the volume of mail that moves around this country, the post office is pretty amazing. I mean, they moved my piece of mail 2000+ miles across the country and delivered it to the door in less than 48 hours over a weekend (they had said 2 - 3 days, I assumed business days). Unless they managed to deliver it to the wrong address (in which case I will be very embarrassed by this post), I consider that pretty damn good.

In contrast, I have been fighting with my health insurance company for a month to get some claims paid. I had my own insurance through my work which I lost when I lost my job - at which point I switched to my partner's insurance policy through the same employer (same company, same group number). My MDs made one mistake - the listed me as self insured instead of insured as a dependent. So, even though the "member ID number" was correct and the group number was correct, the insurance company chose to use group number and the self insured designation to process the claim under my OLD ID number and denied it because (rightfully) I was no longer insured under that number. It has taken me 4 phone calls to MAYBE finally get it fixed. In the meantime I keep getting e-mails about an important claim that was processed but, because it is a closed account, I can't even access the on-line system to check what claims they are talking about.

Oh, I'll take the post office over insurance companies any day!

[Pharaoh]

1. Yes I used to work there

Socialism works pretty good there:shrug:

[Vinca]

2. I love the post office. As an ebay seller I've shipped thousands

upon thousands of things with so few problems I could count them on one hand. Recently I sold a painting on ebay in the morning, got it out in the afternoon mail and the buyer had it the next day. He was amazed and so was I.

[PeaceNikki]

3. Priority Mail is one of the best shipping services offered by anyone anywhere.

Ever.

[Gormy Cuss]

12. After missing the boat with Express Mail and losing that market to the FedExes of the world,

the USPS did find a new niche product that works beautifully. I love Priority Mail, especially with the option of delivery confirmation.

The post office really does an amazing job and I'd love to have "government" single-payer that worked just as well.

[Christa]

4. I am a Socialist at heart

And I am not even ashamed to say it.

A couple of years ago I was visiting Israel and went to stay with friends on a Kibbutz for a weekend. Oh my, the glory of socialism is beautiful to see. In the Kibbutz were a variety of homes and other buildings and lovely gardens, tennis lawns, a pool. At night we ate in a huge marble floored dining hall (out of choice, we could have stayed in and ordered delivery); a meal fit for king. Same for breakfast and lunch. Friday nights wine and snacks are served after dinner. Everyone has a house according to his needs, not his position in life. The gardener with the 3 kids had a bigger home as the single doctor.

The cars, motorbikes and boats (for it was next to the Sea of Galilee), were all communal property with everyone having equal rights to it.

To me, it was the life.

[Cleita]

5. I think insulting working people who are government employees by saying they

aren't doing a good job is really insulting especially if it's done by elected officials. I always get good service at the Post Office. They processed my passport for me efficiently. I can also say the same about the DMV. Sometimes we have to wait in line in both places because they are often understaffed through no fault of their own. Sometimes new or substitute postal deliverers do get mail to the wrong place But considering the volume of mail they are dealing with and all kinds of handwriting and all kinds of errors in addressing and zip codes, I'm amazed how few errors they make. I have never had the Social Security office or Medicare not pay my check nor lose and not pay my medical bills. I salute all those unthanked workers, who do a job for the government day in and day out, doing the best they can do and doing it efficiently.

[patrice]

6. The Post Office has never failed me.

I think there are people who want to turn it into a private business, so they talk trash on it all of the time. It's bullshit!

[iris27]

7. The less you have to deal with a real person at the PO, the better.

I ship books sold on Amazon several times a week. Using printed postage with delivery confirmation, I have almost never had an issue in 3 years. Though I don't know how you are getting free delivery confirmation - usually it is 55 cents, or 19 cents if you use Endicia/Stamps.com/Paypal printed postage.

BUT I avoid going to the window at all costs. When I do, it is almost always a disaster. This most recent trip, I was trying to send care packages of beef jerky/chips/etc. to my 2 brothers serving in Afghanistan. I was told by the lady at the window that their FPO zip code was invalid. This, after I'd spent 30 minutes filling out two of the obnoxiously long white customs forms that make you detail every item in the package, how much it weighs, and how much it cost. Now, I have sent cards to one brother at this address and zip before, which he's gotten. The other brother just got deployed there this month, but has the same zip code. I asked how it could possibly be a wrong zip when I have sent things to that address before that have been received. She just stared at me..finally said, "Well, the machine won't let it be sent with that zip code." I asked how that is possible, and what I can do to get them sent. She said I would have to go find a different zip code.

!!!

I eventually gave the boxes and postage money to my mom who took them to a different PO and had zero problems.

[drmeow]

10. I don't know that it was

true deliver confirmation. When I entered the shipping on-line there was a box to check that said something about getting an e-mail tracking this package - or something like that. I clicked yes and have gotten 3 e-mails. They don't appear to have charged me for it.

[jinto86]

8. Isn't the post office more closely related to a strong public option then single payer?

I mean you can choose it or not, and it costs you money (even if it is subsidized). The only problem I have with the USPS is that they are the only ones who can touch mailboxes or ship to P.O. boxes, to me thats just annoying and unncessary. Isn't theft enough of a crime if someone was to take something out of your mailbox, why do we need another law covering putting stuff into it?

[Uncle Joe]

9. I believe that's because your "health" insurance company profits

from screwing up your claim, considering the time value of money, particularly during inflationary times and if anything has rapidly inflated in price, that would be medical costs, thanks in large part to "health" insurance corporations need to profit.

Thanks for the thread, drmeow.

[CrispyQ]

11. Ditto!!

My local PO is great & the people are friendly & helpful. Sometimes the lines are long, but it's not because the PO workers are lazy, it's usually because it's a popular time of day or because of a holiday. At a recent visit, two people behind me started complaining about the PO - typical BS complaints. So, I turned to them & very nicely stated, "UPS is just up the street & Kinko's is a couple blocks further, if you prefer FedEx." They had the grace to quit complaining. When I got to the counter, the postal worker said, "Thanks! We all appreciated that.'

You are so spot on about the level of service considering the volume of mail!