Dan and I spent Monday at the Urgent Care facility, and then in a specialist’s office. We have an appointment with a surgeon in two weeks, but hopefully he’ll fit Dan in earlier.
I am so thankful we have health insurance. We’re not sure the bill we’ll receive yet, I need to look up our co-pays and percentages, but I couldn’t help but think about how many people out there are under insured, or not insured at all. This would have been a whole ‘nother post if this had happened in July when we had no insurance.
I am admittedly feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and more. We “don’t have time” to have a health crisis just now. Work is piling up for Dan and I. He’s got important deadlines for grants, I have to finish this class plus the zillion work things.
I dislike that I have the “woe’s us” mentality at the moment. Especially since we recently watched God Grew Tired of Us, a documentary about the refugee Lost Boys from Sudan. Our lives, are easy compared to many hardships. I just don’t handle stress well.
UPDATE: Dear Family, after running the numbers and talking with a Blue Cross rep, please expect small handmade gifts this year. I didn’t know stop-loss provisions could be set so high.
9 Comments
November 27, 2007 at 9:55 am
November 27, 2007 at 10:01 am
I’m sorry you’re going through this. Health issues are always stressful. I hope things get better soon.
November 27, 2007 at 10:01 am
Oh, and I don’t even get me started on health insurance. I’m totally a socialist.
November 27, 2007 at 11:06 am
Oh my gosh! I’ll be thinking of you and Dan. Health stuff IS rough, and I think you have a right to feel pretty sucky right now. Try to find humor where you can, and know that we’re all behind you.
And insurance – yeah. Right on. Don’t rent “Sicko” right now, or else you’ll want to put your fist through a wall – preferably in the office of a politician or insurance executive.
November 27, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I hope everything is Ok! My thoughts are with the two of you.
I completely agree with your feelings on insurance. When Ryan got cancer, he had JUST gotten insurance after not having it for a long time. Thank goodness, it proved to be great coverage. I have thought so much about what we would have done had he not had insurance. Our experience would have been so different. He certainly wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see the best doctor in the world for his particular cancer. He wouldn’t have been given the extra ($5000/shot) drugs to keep him from getting sick when his white count was really low. I feel so strongly that everyone needs access to health care! I recently read the book “Redefining Health Care” by Porter and Teisberg, two Harvard Business School faculty. It proposes very good ideas for reworking the US health care system into something that will give quality coverage to everyone. It also makes the argument that nobody has to lose in order to do so. Reworking the health care system could result in a win-win-win-win situation for patients, insurance providers, hospitals, and doctors! It makes me sad when I watch the presidential debates, because none of the candidates seem to have incorporated these very sensible ideas into their health care plans.
November 27, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Christina, I was thinking about you during this and what your situation was like this summer. And another friend who is in Public Health and her debates with her family over equal access to health care. I will check out that book. Sounds interesting.
I will give Sicko a few more months
November 27, 2007 at 6:38 pm
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. We have insanely high deductibles as well, which is incredibly frustrating. I’m right there with you on hating insurance. I’ll have to read that book recommended by another poster.
Good luck with things – hang in there!
November 28, 2007 at 8:34 am
I am so sorry for you and Dan right now. Health care is a huge issue for many people in this country and yet few politicians seem to see it. We had much better health insurance several years ago, and Craig’s two brain surgeries and open heart surgery were all covered with co-pays. I can’t even imagine how we would deal with all of that and our current insurance that has us paying 20%.
I will be thinking of you over the holidays.
November 29, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Our concern is for Dan, you and Sam…NOT what presents you give us! Our best present is for all of you to be healthy and with us for Christmas. Remember you are loved and not alone. Love, Mom