Secrets of the City

You should send an email to Passult on that, David.

You should, however, resist the urge to refer to the Blimp 9 News crew as “hearie fools.”

Even if they are…

I was looking around the website last night to try and find an email. The only one I can find is their general “contact Us” web form.

I wasn’t surprised that they only posted a video. KMSP is probably the worst of the local stations with respect to posting stories. They almost never post more than a brief written description of the report alongside the video.

If only my loss was so easily corrected.

they should be embarassed by airing that story without closed captioning. that’s in addition to being embarassed by just being FOX 9.

I’m sure it aired with captioning, Geoff. They just didn’t post it online with captioning. It was quite an interesting piece– well done.

But it is inexcusable to not at least write a real version of the story to go with it. Plus it’s stupid. I know way more people read our stories online, than watch our videos.

The original broadcast last night was captioned. (They’d be looking at the possibility of FCC fines if they hadn’t)

What they’re really bad about is their website: posting only the video, and not an accompanying written version like most of the other local stations.

I know way more people read our stories online, than watch our videos.

perhaps you have a face for text & not TV?

lol@fox9 for being so damn dumb. Why not use the story as a spring board to be the first local station to cloase catption your online stories.

Hearie fools, no doubt.

Related: Wired magazine recently had this interesting item on hearing aids. The whole industry is screwed up. Mainly because insurance companies won’t cover the equipment. So most people who could benefit from hearing aids never get them.

A couple of points about that Wired article.

I’ve never seen a health plan that covers routine prescription lenses or contacts.

Also, I don’t believe aids are covered for even for profoundly deaf persons. What is usually covered are cochlear implants (a $100K procedure), and bone anchored hearing aids. And of course, things like the above mentioned stapedectomy.

But I’ve never heard of hearing aids being covered. Not even by medicare.

Still haven’t found an email on the KMSP site for Passolt. But I did find emails for the “Fox Investigators” team members, and I could make a pretty good guess as to what it would be.

Also, I don’t believe aids are covered for even for profoundly deaf persons. What is usually covered are cochlear implants (a $100K procedure), and bone anchored hearing aids. And of course, things like the above mentioned stapedectomy.

But I’ve never heard of hearing aids being covered. Not even by medicare.

You’re right on that point. My grandmother was stone deaf and the only way she got them covered was when she went into the nursing home and Medicaid covered them when Medicare denied them. They still didn’t work very well cuz she would turn them all the way up, causing them to ring and drive our family dog insane.

I wasn’t aware that even medicaid covered them.

The feedback was/can be a big problem for me as well. It was a major reason why I didn’t get one until I was in grad school. My sisters would bitch and bitch about it. But there’s not much you can do about that. If the aid isn’t turned up to where the user needs it, it doesn’t do you much good.

Some of the newer digital models can filter out some of the feedback with their processors, and if you can use an open ear model that will help too, but anytime you have a microphone and speaker so close together, it’s inevitable.

I was never much bothered by the ring, actually I found it kind of funny because the dog would just go ape shit over it.

As for Medicaid, this was in SD about 10 years ago, so they may have cut benefits for hearing aids, or put a cap on the amount, but I think coverage varies from state to state. Also, not all dealers will take Medicaid because they are only reimbursed by about 65% and can’t bill the patient for the remainder.