I haven’t been paying close attention to the health care debate because it would probably make me mad and I can’t do anything about it anyway. But I have a stock answer for anyone who thinks that nothing needs to change – “That’s because you have health insurance that someone else is paying for.”
I’m self employed. I pay for my own insurance. The other day I got a notice that my rate was going up $80 a month to $300 a month. I think not. It isn’t even very good insurance. I did like the fact that I never had any paperwork problems with the company so I planned to stay with them on a different plan. That is until I called to sign up and got a higher quote than they gave on the internet. According to the dude on the phone I’m flagged as a high risk to insure.
Excuse me? In the eight years with this company I’ve never been hospitalized. I’ve never been on any medications except for two courses of antibiotics. I went to the ER for my broken pelvis but wasn’t admitted, didn’t have surgery, and didn’t even get crutches there (yes, I’m still mad about the crutches). I had xrays once a month to monitor my healing. Two years later I had the Essure sterilization procedure. My doctor wanted to do it in the office but my insurance company mandated general anesthesia. I was at the outpatient place for three hours. Over the years I’ve had some of the routine health exams I’m supposed to have (but not as often as recommended). I have no chronic diseases that are being treated. And with that medical history I’M considered high risk???
Don’t even get me started on requiring employers to provide insurance. As a potential employer I would love to be able to do it but the financial realities usually mean that vet clinics (and other small companies) can’t afford to. We don’t qualify for group discounts.
One of the only reason I would consider getting married again instead of living in my godless heathen union (I read that on another blog and have decided to embrace it!) is to take advantage of the SO’s insurance coverage. What kind of reason is that for marriage? I know several couples who have married for that reason though.
I cringe at the thought of adding to bureaucracy but something has to change.
$300 is a lot of money! That’s less than my carpayment. I don’t have insurance, and when I called to make a doctor’s appt at the clinic, they said that since I hadn’t been in 2 years, that I was no longer their patient and had to get on their mailing list. I’m #800 something.
Rant on, Sistah!
I don’t have health insurance, it would cost us upwards of $300 per month and I don’t use a doctor’s services more than once a year either. (Oh, and we’d prolly have to be married too, but I’m holding on to my last vestige of “godless heathen”-ness with every thing I’ve got. 😛
Though, to be honest there is probably more than a “vestige” of heathen left….