Snarky Stenonychosaurus

I gambled and lost.

I went to UTSA knowing they were only going to provide funding until I completed my coursework. The gamble was that I hoped I could get additional funding when it was clear I had stellar grades, knew what I was doing, and had a slam dunk dissertation already worked out.

They didn't care.

So, I had to find a job after my dissertation proposal defense or be out on the street. And I discovered that with my ADHD and working a regular 40 hour a week job in front of a computer leaves me exhausted and too burned out to do much of anything else.

I thought I could chip away at the dissertation after I somehow managed to get a Wenner-Gren grant and do my fieldwork in 2024. But I don't get paid enough to continue to pay for tuition and Trump's Department of Education put a restriction on financial aid for repeat credits including dissertation writing credits. UTSA is still unwilling to provide support so I can work less and finish the dissertation.

I no longer have access to university resources or software anymore after going on a leave of absence last fall. My advisor has not contacted me since I went on the leave of absence last fall despite a promise of regular updates. I have no family close by. My only friends are the ones I made at work. I am, quite simply, not in a situation to allow me to succeed.

It isn't official yet, but my department said that if I don't register for credits in the fall they will drop me from the program.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) announced last week that they're changing their billing policy next year so limited license mental health therapists in the state (21% of the mental health work force in Michigan) won't be able to bill them for therapy sessions if they work in a private practice or school setting.

Since BCBSM holds almost 70% of Michigan's commercial market, limited license therapists almost certainly will be forced out of private practice - interrupting care for (possibly hundreds? of) thousands of clients and severely restricting training opportunities for practitioners trying to get fully licensed.

Here are a few news articles about this:

Michigan Blue Cross to limit mental health benefit. Will thousands lose care?

‘Devastating’: Michigan mental health care workers concerned BCBSM billing change could cut access to counselors

Mental health providers warn BCBSM billing changes could disrupt care for hundreds

Ways Michiganders can help:

- Post about this on other social media platforms.

- Call your state legislator and say you're against this policy.

- If you have BCBSM insurance, call the number on the back of your insurance card and complain.

Point of order.

King of Horses ran 450 fucking miles at almost entirely a gallop, without more than a few minutes rest, in 4 nights and basically was like "wait why are we stopping?" when Gandalf took him into the city and he ended up in a stable.

This was not his top speed, nor did it push any limits on his endurance.