You know, I really am an optimistic person. I try my best to think of what the good part of any scenario could be. This week is killing me, though.
Monday, I get a letter from Highmark saying "thanks, but no thanks" to giving me insurance. The good news is that they are happy to insure JP, but not someone who was last in the ER because of a spinal headache. They did tell me that if I'd like to appeal this decision, they might consider letting me have insurance for a "premium". Might. And it will take them 60 days to decide that. Meanwhile, my insurance expires at the end of this month, and JP doesn't start work until after Labor Day. This means several things:
1) I have to cancel my appointment that I had to wait six months to get with the MS clinic because I can't really afford the $300some dollars that I expect it to cost.
2) I absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, hurt myself this summer. While I have gone longer than 4 months without a trip to the ER, because of my clumsiness, I feel it's a big risk. Random car accident? I'd be utterly fucked, financially speaking.
3) Anyone who doesn't believe in some sort of socialized medicine (even just catastrophic coverage!) is currently on my shit list. Sorry, but I can't wrap my head around why health insurance as a BUSINESS is an acceptable practice, making tons of money, while people who are willing to pay for your product are without coverage because it's just not worth it for you, according to your actuarial tables. Health insurance decisions made by people who are not healthcare workers fill me with rage.
Then, I'm rereading my notice for jury duty. I've actually been chosen to be on a statewide grand jury, a rare occurance. I research this. This is not the kind of jury duty where you show up and then read a book for awhile, and then leave. It involves serving for one week a month for up to 18 months. And they want written documentation of why you wouldn't be able to serve. Really? I need to bring a note from my employer saying that they won't pay me to take a week off every month? Then I need to bring in my lease, stating what my rent costs, to prove that I can't live on 3/4 of my salary? How about when I go back to school? I need an official document that states missing a week of school each month will be detrimental to earning my degree? How about my non-refundable plane ticket to Europe for 3 weeks in August?
I guess for the jury duty, I can say that the silver lining is that I get to really experience our justice system, but I'm struggling to see it for the health insurance. Help?
Thursday, April 23, 2009
And it keeps on coming...
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7 comments:
I agree about insurance. The fact that so many people get rich off of others' misfortunes sickens me. I know someone who takes great glee in her job in a rare cancer - more patients = more money. I know from the struggles with my parents' finances and all of their medicines, the cost is ridiculous and seeing a specialist is expensive and takes so long to do. I hope you keep the MS appointment.
As for jury duty - that sounds like a nightmare. I have served 3 or 4 times, just locally and one of those was a rape case - very unsettling for reasons I can't divulge here. I respect that they need people to serve, but there has to be a better way than costing people paychecks.
There/s always money in the banana-stand. Or friends who can lend you money.
do you judge me for listing myself as the primary caregiver of a child to avoid the grand jury duty selection you have been selected for? i didn't even have to prove anything (yet...) but i will be able to in 10 weeks.
that really sucks about your health insurance. do you read dooce? i get so riled up when she talks about their healthcare woes. it's bad out there. i want to be like france!
I have no health insurance and recently racked up around $25,000 in ER bills for a faulty appendix. The funny thing is, well, aside from me actually paying someone to cut out a part of me, that they took too long getting the thing out so complications of the infectious variety set in, meaning I had to go back twice, doubling my bill.
And since I didn't have insurance, I HAD to go through the ER, which is more expensive than making an appointment. All very lame. Health care should be socialized for sure.
On your other note, racism or talking to a bottle of ketchup will get you out of jury duty.
I have to agree with Tim though, you should probably burn down the banana stand.
@Katy: No judgment. You are even less capable of doing this without infringing upon your life.
@Nathan: That sucks so much. Everything in the ER costs 3x or more.
And they don't screen for grand juries. I'm stuck.
Shouldn't you be able to do the cobra thing to keep your current insurance plan (albeit paying out of pocket).
My COBRA is actually what's expiring. :(
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