I had the loveliest brunch today with two close friends.  As we sat around talking, the subject of insurance came up and it was decided that I would blog this afternoon because steam was practically coming out of my ears about this whole insurance thing.  So here goes…

I have health insurance.  I pay for my health insurance.  It’s very, very expensive.  It’s 60% of what we pay for our monthly rent just for my monthly insurance bill.  I haven’t gone to the doctor for 5 months, but I’ve spent thousands of dollars paying for the in-case situation.

As if this isn’t bad enough, my health insurance copays doubled and my insurance premium went up $100/month.  Sometimes, I think it would be better to put the money into savings and just pay out-of-pocket instead of having insurance.

I know that sounds stupid, but honestly, I get “punished” by the insurance company for being sick.  And I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Exhibit A:  (Here’s me being brutally honest.)  As few of you know, I was diagnosed with depression over a year ago.  For the initial time of my diagnosis, I was making monthly visits to my doctor to recheck my medications/dosages.  Once we got all of that under control, I was given refills on my prescriptions and bumped back to yearly checkups.  Also, I went to a therapist every other week for a period of time.  Shortly thereafter, my copays doubled.  And now, at the April mark where the insurance company is allowed to make erratic changes to policies, they significantly raised my premium.

I feel punished for recognizing that I needed help and seeking it.

Exhibit B:  My friend had knee surgery over 10 years ago.  When she was filling out her insurance paperwork a year ago, there was no place saying that she needed to list a surgery in the last 10 years so she didn’t.  Several months ago, she was involved in a car accident.  Her back hurt and she went to the doctor and then had to get an MRI.  Later, she found out that her insurance subpoenaed her old medical history records and have now made an amendment to her policy saying that they will not cover any joints in her body.  It’s ludicrous.  She is also paying a ridiculous amount of money for her insurance premium which won’t even cover her joints!!!

What is insurance for anyway?

Exhibit C:  A woman who was pregnant gave birth at 35 weeks.  The baby and mother were fine.  Technically the baby was considered preemie, however, did not require any additional medical attention and was released without any complications.  Now, that woman cannot find any insurance company who will cover her for another pregnancy because she is considered high-risk for having a premature baby.

What is our nation coming to?!  We pay our insurance companies thousands and thousands of dollars and they balk if they have to cover us for any medical fee.  Excuse me, but isn’t that why we’re paying them in the first place?!  I’m getting so fed up with insurance companies.  They want our money, but they will punish us if we use our own policy to take care of ourselves.  If we get sick, we have to pay more.  If we have a baby early, then they won’t cover any more pregnancies.  If we break a leg, they won’t cover our bones anymore.  Etc.

This is stupid and out of control.  When is anything going to change?  When are we going to want to help the needy and reach out to the sick?  Instead we punish anyone for having the audacity to be rear-ended and needing an MRI.

Get real.  We need change and I believe that we need it now.  Families can’t afford insurance anymore and more people are going on state aid daily.  (Fifty-nine million people in the U.S. are on medicaid!  Yes, you read right: 59,000,000 people.*)  Those of us who don’t qualify get punished for paying for it.  There’s no medium.  Everything is about money.

Unfortunately, the patients are the ones still suffering, both monetarily and physically.

*Site source: www.familiesusa.org