Thankful for...Health Insurance

 

This Thanksgiving, I'm moving more slowly than usual.

I hadn't planned to have back surgery quite this close to a holiday, but the surgeon was able to fit me in and I was happy for the chance to feel normal again after months of painful herniated discs.

The most disconcerting aspect of the whole process had nothing to do with the prospect of cutting my spine open and rooting around inside. Rather, it was the large placard advising me that my “co-pay or deductible is due upon check-in.”

Ummmm…my health-insurance deductible is $7,500. Cue the defibrillator!

Nothing in the pre-surgery paperwork prepared me for that shock – I was told to bring my driver’s license and proof of insurance, and it’s a fluke I even had a credit card with me!

The clerk quickly informed me that I could “pay whatever I can,” and they’d work out the rest.

As a self-employed person, I’ve long had a contentious relationship with insurance companies. I’ve written editorials, shown up to speak at insurers’ annual meetings – anything to get the message across that just because someone is self-employed doesn’t mean they must be lumped into a high-risk pool.

For years, I had so-called “junk insurance,” paying for policies that didn’t cover much of anything, just to have some health coverage. And my income is too high to qualify for federal subsidies to help pay my premiums.

The Affordable Care Act has been good for me, because it required the policies to cover a few things that they didn’t before. I understand it has its flaws, but I'm not ready to scrap it..

I’ll most likely learn more about those flaws when I get the bill(s) and try to figure out how to pay them. Stay tuned!