Houston, We Have A Drinking Problem

Norcross Nov 20th, 2009General Ramblings

 Health Care Card

(note: this was originally posted in November 2007. Funny how things work out in two years, doesn’t it)

There are a lot of reasons why I work for a large company, as opposed to a start up or myself. And it isn’t because I enjoy falling in line with the company “vision”, or enjoy dealing with people I otherwise wouldn’t associate with. The main reason is this: Stability. Recently I got a flu shot provided by my employer, and it made me sick. Or, at least lowered my immune system to allow something else to make me sick. Either way, I’m still feeling somewhat crap-tastic. And I haven’t gone to the doctor, since I know what’s wrong. But I could if I wanted to, since I have insurance. It’s that little card glistening in my wallet telling me everything is going to be ok. Here’s a rundown of how it has single-handedly saved me from bankruptcy (and possibly alcoholism):

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    • November 1999: Tonsils removed
    • November 2000: Wisdom teeth removed
    • April 2001: Shattered femur / hip socket
    • January 2007: MRI for knee cartilage, or lack thereof (surgery pending)
    • August 2007: Birth of first child
    • August 2005 – Current: Required daily medication for stomach acid problems and arthritis (family history)

And I assure you that I am not accident prone. And this is a condensed list, since I have only included what has happened since I got my own insurance (not parents). Now here’s the fun part.

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    • Estimated Total cost: $250,000
    • Estimated Total out of pocket expense: $7,000 (including follow-up doctor visits, prescriptions, and therapy for my hip). I think the numbers speak for themselves.

Now, what prompted this was a recent Yahoo! article regarding Health Care Gift Cards, mainly through Visa. So instead of getting that not-so-special someone an impersonal gift card from Best Buy or Barnes & Nobel’s, why not pay for a doctor’s visit? How about some Botox? 

Now, politics aside (I believe the mindset of heath care being an “industry” is completely wrong, and should be free for everyone, period), I’ll gladly pay the $180 a month for my family (wife, baby, and me) to know that I don’t have to make a medical decision based on whether I want to have electricity or not. I wish I could say the same for everyone else

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