I understand that I could go by the way of contractor, and I've given it some thought. I think financially I'd come out ahead, but the issue isn't just that I realize that the economy has really improved a lot in recent years (not counting the las few months), but more so because the majority of people in the US are also unaware.

I went to the dentist for a routine cleaning, my 2nd normal cleaning at this particular dentist, and in a long time as it happens. The first time they did a whole bunch of xrays. The second time they did what was called the 'bitewing' xrays. My dental insurance, which is supposed to be 'good', covers the full-mouth xrays once every few years (I'd have to find the details again), and the bitewing xrays once a year. However, when the dentist charged the insurance the first time, the insurance code for full-mouth included bitewing. Of course, when I got the statements after the first visit this detail was on there, but in typical medical abbreviated fashion... who doesn't know how to interpret "full mouth xray w/ bw". So the second time, when the dentist actually did the bitewing xrays, and charged it to insurance, that claim was denied. After talking with insurance, the answer was basically "yeah, sorry, that's just how it is." So even though the actual work I had done should have been covered, because of these stupid medical codes it wasn't. Now, I probably could have fought with insurance, and I'm sure given enough time they likely would have ponied up the $50. I could also fault the dentist for not using the right codes. That is what brings me to my point... if my dentist had known how my insurance worked they would have just done all the xrays the first visit. Should I fault them? At first I thought yes. Then I called my insurance provider, and she spent several minutes with me on hold determining if the Boeing policy for their insurance allowed them to cover it. So it wasn't just the provider, but their tailored plans for every business (at least big business). There's no way the doctors can be aware of all the intricacies of all their patients insurance plans. By the same token, this is the 3rd insurance plan I've had in the 5 years with Boeing. Its impossible for me to know all the intricacies either, at least if I want to have a life too. For me it just resulted in a $50 bill, so I'm thankful for that.