24 Hours and LEDs

24 hours cost me $6,400. Because my heart attack was Dec 31, we got to pay the 2020 deductible of $6,400 (much better than the $63,000 the hospital billed for the day plus I was there). Jan 1 that deductible reset, so my cardiac rehab (plus all my doctor visits post heart attack) is on my own dime, to the tune of $126 per visit (that's after the discount; the amount billed is $180). One day of cardiac rehab could pay an entire year of Planet Fitness at the lower $10/month rate. There should be some sort of grace period for this sort of situation, where, because the heart attack was Dec 31 instead of Jan 1, I get hit with twice the deductible instead of once. Insurance is a scam (but I'm glad I don't have to pay the $63k, so there's that).

Now, let's talk LED bulbs. The ones you put in your house. What's your experience with them so far? We have a few in various places throughout our home, and I must say: I think I've replaced more of those due to failure than the good old incandescents. The "super long life" LEDs, in several cases, have failed to last as long as the incandescent bulbs that were installed when our house was built just over a decade ago. And those aren't rarely used incandescents, either; many of the ones still going strong are bathroom and hallway bulbs which probably have more on/off cycles (which heat cycle the filament in the bulb, which I think is the primary cause of failure in those bulbs). So, while the energy cost per hour of usage is much lower for the LEDs, the overall cost per lifespan doesn't work out to the savings promised by the long-life LEDs. Now, perhaps, I've gotten low quality bulbs, or early generation bulbs, but still. Less than overwhelming in terms of the longevity of the LEDs.

Well, I guess that's all for this edition of LBD. Have fun out there, eat well, get your cholesterol checked, exercise, and don't have a heart attack! But if you do, try to plan it better than I did, and have it early in the year rather than the last day of the year.