For the past few years, every time I get my flu shot, I get billed for 5 dollars. No matter that my health plan is supposed to cover preventive vaccinations completely. Every year they wave me out after sticking me with a needle and every year they send me a mysterious bill for $5. One year I badgered them to tell me what it was for before I paid it. One year I tried to get them to explain why there was a co-pay.

You know how that goes.

This year, I let them stick me with a needle and when the nurse said I was all done I said, “oh no. I am tired of getting billed for $5. I’m not leaving until I pay.”

I stood at the payment counter and insisted on paying. The person there said they had no way of knowing what my insurance would cover until they submitted it. I said that they seemed to always ask for my insurance info and every year billed me despite my thinking that the shot was covered in full.

I stood there until the person took my five dollar bill and gave me a receipt. She said if I was covered, they’d have to send me a check.

Imagine my surprise when I got a check today from Seton Health, Inc for $5. I wasn’t at all surprised that it was made out to my ex-married name.

I was not surprised when the person answering the phone sounded like “Peggy” who transferred me to someone else who pretty much gave me gobbledegook as to why I’d had to pay $5 previous years but not this year. She gave me a different number and name to speak to to get the name on the check corrected. That number of course was voicemail.