There Is No Antimemetics Division is such a creative, page-turning, terrifying read and I'm glad it's getting the author some recognition from the big publishers. It's one of those books that keeps returning to my thoughts every so often and I can't wait to see the improved version next year!
I would highly recommend avoiding Dante Labs. I had a terrible experience with them. There were extreme delays, lasting many months. When I requested the full genome be sent to me, they insisted the only way to do it was a hard drive. This hard drive was sent from Italy to California. On its way, it was seized by customs in Mumbai, who opened it and re-sealed it. The package arrived in tatters, and based on my analysis of the genome with the appropriate reference, it appeared to be someone else's genome. Many of the SNPs disagreed with a later 23andme report I got, which I assume is more accurate.
I was stupid enough to sign up for their SmartGut program. They never clearly disclose how much the test costs if you opt to use your insurance. They’re $2700. Not only that, they make it seem like you purchased 6 tests, but the $2700 charge is per test. Their billing practices are questionable, at least from the perspective of the consumer. On the BBB page for uBiome tons of people are complaining. While I can afford the surprise charge, I feel bad for the many that surely cannot.
They promised to only take what your insurance paid and not bill you any remainder. My insurance refused one and paid another. They ate the first one. But it's a ridiculous amount to bill my insurance so i didn't do anymore. They got shady when they started sending emails where just by clicking they would "resequence" your sample.
Interesting. That make sense but is very counterintuitive.
I've always wondered why a lab has been hounding me to pay a $5 bill when insurance paid them like 99% of the bill. (I refuse to pay them because they only take check via mail--I've offered credit card, PayPal, venmo, et cetera...hoping to make things better for the next person). This explains why they care about getting paid the $5--so they can't be accused of insurance fraud. Anyway, this is just more evidence of how our whole health insurance industry needs a big refactor/replace.
Cool stuff. I wonder if we'll see Blockchain technology spread to other commodities. The value prop mentioned is transparency - I wonder how much this will improve with this solution, how much of an issue it was before, and whether increased transparency will cause any issues itself.
BTW, I wonder if this is the oldest organization investing in blockchain technology.
I had a chance to meet Tom Wheeler to discuss net neutrality in the summer of 2014. It was coming off of a bad press cycle for him (John Oliver calling him a dingo), so I didn't know what to expect.
He was extremely reasonable and very receptive to the needs of the tech community and small businesses. I came away from the meeting pleasantly surprised and have been happy with his actions during his tenure. Sad to see him go.
John Oliver was hardly alone in their skepticism that a former lobbyist would make for a good FCC chairman, but I think everybody can agree that he has been a pleasant surprise.
