My Take of the Day: Medical CARE?

I’m a , so to have medical insurance, I have to pay for it myself.

My husband is also self-employed and has only a catastrophic medical insurance plan. When the rate for my ever-increasing insurance hit $683 per month, plus deductibles and co-pays, I knew I was being priced out of coverage. I had to also switch to a catastrophic plan. I was temporarily uninsured.

During that time, my generic cholesterol medication expired. My physician refused to refill it until I had my annual blood work, which is normally part of my annual exam. The exam, blood work, and typical annual components are very expensive when you consider the entire cost was coming out of my pocket - well over $1,000. I decided to pursue getting just a lipid panel done on my own to save money until my new plan took effect.

I called an assortment of labs, but none would do a lipid panel without a doctor’s order, which required the expensive exam. Are the uninsured not allowed to know if their cholesterol is high? What could I possibly do with the results of a lipid panel besides take it to a doctor for a prescription if it’s still needed?

My new insurance took effect a couple of weeks later (January 1) and is wonderful, I think. At least I get all of my preventative annual exam, blood work and mammogram at no charge.  Part of the annual covered blood work is a lipid panel, except not for me.  I had already been on cholesterol medication ($10 for 90 days supply) so now it is a pre-existing condition. Nothing to do with cholesterol is covered for 9 months.

So I think to myself, I doubt I’ll die from doing without cholesterol medication, I’ll just continue the plan I started in September of healthy eating and exercise and consider this additional incentive to stay focused and continue losing weight? It’s a great attitude, but what of the other pre-existing conditions I now have to figure out?

My eyes require me to have extensive exams several times a year from a specialist and eye drops that cost $100/mo and is the only thing preventing me from developing glaucoma. I have to pay.

Though I will pay thousands of dollars toward my own medical care through October, none of my pre-existing condition payments will apply toward my deductible.  I can’t afford anything new to come up.

I submit very few families in this day and age can afford this much medical cost on an ongoing basis and are going without medical coverage and possibly care. I already pay for dental maintenance on a cash basis. What of the unemployed, or the homeless?

None of the free medical clinics would even let me pay for just a lipid panel. An appointment for the required exam would not have even been available until March. There are no Groupon deals, or coupons for lab work.

There is continued discrimination in America. It doesn’t take much to look around and see it. It was very strange to experience it regarding blood work.