I love having my Mondays off! It really helps me to get stuff done that can never get done during the week. It amazes me how many cars are on the road, though. I left my apartment around two, I had a lot of errands to do, and it was like rush hour all around town. I ended up going to urgent care for my arm, woke up with it feeling much worse than yesterday, and found out I have a strained rotator cuff. They recommended physical therapy to help with it, but last time I went to physical therapy I got charged hundreds of dollars. I think this is the most ridiculous thing in America, the way health care works.
The first urgent care I went to was closed, said the lady behind the desk marked "urgent care," so I went to another urgent care up the street. They told me that I shouldn't waste my money because I might need x-rays, which they didn't have. FYI this was in one of the most wealthy suburbs. They referred me to a place that specializes in sports medicine, as it was a sports related injury. This one was also up the block, so I journeyed up there and started filling out forms. I was still nervous about insurance, I can't afford another couple hundred dollars for medical bills, so I called my insurance company while I was waiting. After going through the usual "micky mouse" routine (press 1 for English, 2 for medical claims, 3 if you've already lost your mind...), I got on the phone with someone that could help me. I told her where I was, but she said she couldn't say for sure if I was covered unless I had a doctor's name. I was confused and asked her if I needed to see somebody before I knew if I had coverage, which doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, she took this for me being sarcastic (I honestly wasn't) and her tone got very rude from that point on. Just then, they called my name to go in, so I asked if she would stay on the phone with me while I asked who I would be seeing. I spelled out the name for her, and she proceeded to tell me he was covered...then they wrote a different name! I apologized and asked if I could give her a different name, and she said that person was covered. She told me about something else insurance related, which I totally didn't understand, so I told her thanks and said goodbye.
If I could offer advice to American educators it would be this: offer a life course where you learn how to deal with insurance, or at least insurance definitions. Offer a course in learning how to finance your budget and balance a checkbook. I never really learned these things in school and here I am, 30 years old, and I still don't know a deductible from a claim. I always tell people to tell me in layman's terms what to expect for insurance. This was one case where I was in a pinch, and needed to just know right away if I was at least covered. If anything this should be part of a job orientation, or continuing education course. It's very confusing, and expensive sometimes. I had multiple doctor visits last year with an office I was told accepted my insurance. A month later I received a bill for almost four hundred dollars. I immediately called up my doctor, and told him I no longer wanted to be a patient there. He actually called my insurance to check on it, and it was true. I was not covered at all.
I'm a fairly healthy person, work out two to three times a week, eat out only once a week, get plenty of sleep, but I do not have a doctor. I don't even have a dentist anymore. I can't afford it. If anybody knows any way around this let me know. I've been trying to play this insurance game, and I lose every time. I know that, even today, I will probably get a bill for that visit in the amount of a hundred dollars, which will break my bank. I just have to remain hopeful that one day I will figure it all out and not have to worry about whether or not insurance will be covered. I'm actually going to look into Minnesota Care, any opinions? I've heard they are cheaper, right now I get so much money taken out of my paycheck for medical insurance that doesn't even cover half of the bills when I see someone.
I've heard they have really good health insurance in Canada...
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