Up until November 14th of this year, I was living pretty good, at least as far as health insurance went. I got my prescriptions for free (and I was on birth control for a while, so that was really nice), got in to see my Primary Care Provider whenever I wanted, and got lab tests run all the time. I didn't have to pay a cent for it, and my mom only had to pay like $3 a month for it.
I was insured under Tricare, and through all its faults, I loved the coverage I got under it. Of course, I graduated from college back in May, at the age of 20. Knowing that I would lose my coverage when I turned 21, I was frantically trying to find some schooling I could do to extend my coverage out a little more. I registered for an online class (worth three credits) at the local community college, and got into a phlebotomy program (worth 10 credits), amounting to a total of 13 credits... what was considered full-time.
When we went to renew my ID card, and thus my insurance, they told us I had to be taking classes at ONE school full-time. I was so stressed, realizing that I had taken that one extra class for nothing. I left a note with one of the counselors at my vocational school to see if there was any way I could take another class to be considered full-time. In the end, I just got the financial aid officer to write me a letter stating that I was in school full-time, and my coverage was extended through the middle of November, when I was estimated to finish school.
Now, it's more than a month later, and I'm trying to apply for an internship. The application is due by December 31st, and I have everything I need for it, except that I need a physical exam and TB skin test. I didn't find out about this program until after my coverage dropped, so it was a little difficult to get in and make an appointment to get a basic physical.
But, I figure it's no big deal. I look at the community health centers in the area. I start at the city-county health department. They tell me they don't do physicals, except when a girl wants to get put on birth control (and that sort of physical I had done back in September). Ok, so I go to the Community Health Center in town. Their website says that uninsured patients have to call to register before they can make an appointment. So, I called to register.
I find out that you have to be put on a waiting list before you're allowed into the practice, and the waiting list is currently over 1700 people long. So, the chances of me getting on the list and getting a physical by the end of the year (even when I'm willing to pay whatever they charge) is basically nil. Fabulous.
I could have tried the Student Health Center at the University I went to, but a TB test requires that you go back 2-3 days after for evaluation. Since my University is like 50 miles away, that makes it rather difficult, especially since I'm on a tight budget (since I have no job). Besides, since I'm not a student anymore, I'm not sure they'd accept me anyway, since I don't pay the fees for the health center in the first place. Nevermind that the only thing I used it for in the years I went to college was to store my shot record.
My choices are then a private physician, or an urgent care. I used to work for a private physician, and his physical charges were really high. Like $110 a pop. Granted, he gave a little discount if you self-paid the bill, but still... that's not exactly something I could really afford. I looked up the Emergicares in my area, and found one downtown. Great. I called them up, and they charge $50 for a physical, and $20 for the TB test. Since I'm pretty much out of options, that's probably what I'll end up doing on Tuesday.
I looked at insurance plans too... there are some available to me for about $70 a month. Problem is that they have a $2500 deductible, and allow me 3 office visits per year at a cost of $30 a pop. So, basically, I'd get a $20 discount on the first three office visits, and then I'd have to pay over $2500 before they covered anything. And I'd be paying $1840 a year for this privilege. Lucky me. Seems I'd be better off uninsured.
You are not better off uninsured. What if you get into a serious accident and end up hospitalized. Medical bills add up quick in emergencies. I am surprised the internship agency won't pay for it.
A high deductible sucks, but you still get discounted services and usually the deductible is the most you'll ever have to pay in a year.
I have a HDHP and an HSA account. That way I put the amount of my deductible each year into it, and I know I have the money I need if an emergency happens. It collects interest, the money deposited into it is tax deductible and unused funds double as a retirement account.
At least if you have to pay the money, you get something back for it.
Check out ehealthinsurance.com. For HSAs there is a tab that shows the compatible plans. Look for the out of pocket maximum in addition to the deductible. That is the most you'll ever have to pay in a year. Also look at the coinsurance. For some plans the deductible seems reasonable but then you still have to pay a percentage, sometimes up to 70% even after you meet your deductible.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
The internship agency is a non-profit hospital. They require you to have outside insurance before you begin the program, and you don't get paid for the internship. So, an outside job is pretty much required if you want to survive, and they have you in the internship full time anyway.
No, the most I'll have to pay in a year is the deductible, on top of the copays I have to pay and the price of insurance in the first place. That's $2500, plus $1840 (for the price of the insurance, $70 a month is the cheapest I saw for a single person), which puts me well over $4000 in a year. Since I'm unemployed, I can't afford that anyway. I can just barely afford to pay back the private student loans I took out to get a job skill in the first place.
If it's an automobile accident I get into, my car insurance will help pay for any medical bills I have. Otherwise, I'm just looking to stay healthy.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
These are the best deal for most young people. The money adds up for most young people who don't ever meet the deductible. And it is just crazy not to be covered against catastrophe.
I don't know what it's called anywhere else, but in CA it's called Medi Cal. If you don't make much money you can easily qualify. It will take awhile to get through the application process, and overall the care sucks, but it's better than nothing. At least you can get your basic car
What exactly is your internship for? Is it for phlebotomy or something else?
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
Medical technology. It's a year long internship rotating through the different parts of the laboratory. It's partnered with the local university here for a bachelor's in Medical Technology, but you can also apply to it if you already have a bachelor's and meet certain requirements. If you do the latter, you don't have to pay tuition at the university, and the total cost of the internship amounts to about $700 to cover the cost of the board exams at the end of the year and the cost of books. A whole lot better than my 13 week phlebotomy course, which is going to end up putting me out about 5K, because I couldn't work for the last four weeks of it.
From the looks of it, as an uninsured person who cannot get COBRA to continue benefits under my mother's health plan (it's government, and they won't let me do it), the best course of action I have is either to get insurance through a local community health center (remember that 1700 number I put up in the blog... that was my first route), or buy insurance. Don't have a job... can't afford health insurance at all. Again, I can barely afford to pay back my student loans right now, because my credit card is almost maxed out, and I only have a few hundred dollars in the bank. No one wants to hire me, which makes getting a job rather difficult.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
She looked at me like I is crazy and told me to get the insurance asap, when i told her my parents didn't even eralize I was uninsured until I had bronchitis a month ago, she said ASMA, you need help.., professional help.lol. she said it in all seriousness, this is the friend on prozac, she told me a lot of shit today and more than half is true.
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go to a home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space, come to destroy their planet.
Fuck It.
from work? I am not sure how it is in PN, but in CA if a child is in school full time they can remain on the parent's plan until they are 25. It might be worth your while to just go to a local community college for that benefit alone.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
Earlier this summer, my dad was bitten by a spider on his leg. A few days later, he had to go out of town for work. Well, while he was gone (and staying in a hotel) he decided to soak it in the bathtub because it was bugging him. So he's picking at it and soaking it in the bathtub...he's gone Mon-Fri. Well, guess what? By Sunday, he decided to go to the hospital. It was a staff infection and he had to go on a bunch of antibiotics (which, BTW, have totally messed up his stomache...). Anyway...my point is that it's a good thing he's insured because it's costing a fortune even with the insurance. You have to make the choice that's right for you, but since turtlesuds said something about unexpected catastrophe, I thought I'd throw that out there.
BTW, it just so happened that the Monday he was in the hospital, I was flying home from being gone for a week and a half and didn't know a thing about this. Mom even told her friends that if they told their kids, to also tell them not to say anything to me (my flight was delayed, so I ended up getting home at 930 PM instead of the planned 1230 PM..., so I was having a rough day). Then what does my dad do? He calls me up and talks to me and then says "BTW, Sara, you know I'm in the hospital, right?" MEN...since he was the one saying it, I knew hospital must not equal dead, and I didn't want to panic on the phone with him...so calm, cool, and collected, I was like "Really? Why?" Then he said something about a spider bite and I was like "oh." Then we got off and I called my mom with "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME DAD WAS IN THE HOSPITAL???" Then she called him and yelled at him and he was like "It's not like it'll bother her." *rolls eyes* MEN...Anyway...interesting story related to it so I thought I'd mention it. :P
RESPECT LIFE
http://progressiveu.org/blog/respectlife
"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
~Mother Teresa
Complete side note... I was watching Dr. G a few months ago, and the same basic thing that happened to your dad happened to this guy, and he ended up dying from it because it got into his lungs or something. She said that most things that present as spider bites, aren't really spider bites (they're MRSA infections), but most of them clear up on their own, so they never get diagnosed as infections.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
Eww...well, luckily, Dad didn't die. It got kinda scary for a while there, though. That's interesting. Thanks for the info!
RESPECT LIFE
http://progressiveu.org/blog/respectlife
"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
~Mother Teresa
pretty quickly. Another common source of MRSA are cat scratches. i've seen 20 year olds in the hospital with cellulitis and MRSA from cat scratches. It is not hard to get sick or hurt and hospitalized. I know you can't afford insurance but you also can't afford $30,000 + in medical bills either.
Seriously, have you looked into state insurance? COBRA sucks, it is ridiculously expensive. I know you said something before about your dad not being around. Sorry if this is insensitive, I don't know the details of your history with him, but sometimes those kinds of situations are good for using guilt tactics. Maybe you can appeal to him to help you out. No matter what I am sure he would be devastated if something happened to you.
BTW, congratulations on your internship, that sounds awesome. The other thing I just thought of, regarding your immediate needs for a H&P and TB test. You have worked at or been around in hospitals. i am sure you can find a doctor there that would be willing to help you out. I've gotten multiple antibiotic prescriptions and the like from doctors I work with for free. If you have access to a lab, you could probably do a TB test yourself. I have tuberculin in my surgery center. I would do it for you if you lived near me. I know that's a little sketchy ethically, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. You might be able to persuade someone you know to help you out.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
"Another common source of MRSA are cat scratches."
REALLY? *wicked grin* Kewl...I'm going to tell my sister. *grumbles about stupid cat and obsessive sisters...*
BTW, MRSA=staff infection, right?
RESPECT LIFE
http://progressiveu.org/blog/respectlife
"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
~Mother Teresa
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
In other words, a super-charged staph infection.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
Got it. I'll have to ask my mom if that's what my dad got...I don't remember (I'm not good with the technicalities of things). It was really rough on him, though. :(
RESPECT LIFE
http://progressiveu.org/blog/respectlife
"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
~Mother Teresa
I praise health insurance. The technology that went into my arm has an estimated worth of $87,000. That's my entire college education for the next...12 years. And I'm going to school for $7,000 a semester. Wanna know how much we had to pay for my arm? Aside from the payments to insurance to be insured, it cost my family $9000. A little less, but the fact remains. We paid for 1 tenth of what it cost to put me back together again.
-acertainsaint-
Hi.
I can kind of empathize here
as a small business owner I can't afford it.
I signed up for the state QUEST program and qualified. I'm glad but it is limited and soooooooo hard to find a doctor.
I would take that class to stay insured if you can
Susan
===============================================
A life not examined is a life not worth living.....plato
Even if it doesn't seem worth it, it is, especially if something unexpected like the kidney stone issue I had comes up! I owe a small fortune, after insurance, on those bills. I'm pretty sure I'll be paying them off for the rest of my life (okay, probably an exaggeration, but it certainly feels that way!). But, it would have been a lot worse without insurance to cover at least part of it. 2500 is infinitely better than 12500!
Have you tried a local health department? I'm not sure how it works there, but here in Arkansas, there is a health department in each county and they provide vaccinations and test for things like TB, STDs, etc for free to residents of the county. Basically if it was something that could pose a risk to others, they provided free testing, vaccination and, in some cases, treatment. You might be able to knock out at least half of what you need if they do anything similar there.
-----
~Fallon~
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.- Russell
-----
Yeah... the health department doesn't give physicals, unless it's a girl wanting to go on birth control. Which, you know, isn't a real physical... it's a pap smear. I've already had that done. They do offer TB testing, but I'd rather pay the extra $19 to get it done at the Emergicare so I'm not frantically trying to go around town. I've already got all my vaccinations (except Gardasil, but I'm kinda iffy on that one), so that's not really an issue.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
If you haven't yet, please read my blog, "FDA Approves HPV Vaccine, What You Need to Know." It's at least worth getting tested for HPV before getting the vaccination. If you already have it the vaccine won't help, and there is reason to suspect it may actualy increase your chances of getting cervical cancer.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
I'm iffy about it for many other reasons, most prevalent that it's only been out on the market for a few years, and the FDA did not approve the other HPV vaccine, Cervarix, which is approved in the EU and is a whole lot cheaper.
But, since I've never so much as kissed a guy, unless I got HPV at birth, I'm pretty sure I don't have it.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
as I stated in my blog, HPV is mislabeled as an STD. It is transmitted by contact, not necessarily sexually transmitted. A person can get it from shaking hands with someone who just used the restroom and forgot to wash. Seriously, most people have multiple strains of it.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude