Saturday, September 5, 2009

To Someone, It Matters a Lot

I have employer-sponsored health insurance. I am going to guess that most of my readers have this in common with me. Is it the best plan? No. Does sometimes making a $25 co-pay several times a week to diagnose and treat a single ear infection suck? Yes. Does it bite that I have to pay $40 extra for antibiotics for LP because she maybe, could be, who knows, is allergic to amoxicilin? Yah.

But you know what sucks worse?

Having to pay full price for taking a child - or yourself to the doctor. Have you ever looked at the bill from the insurance company where it tells how much they covered (and got discounted because they are a huge conglomerate that wields lots of power)? For AK's one year well child it cost $520. I paid $25.

There are lots of people that don't have health insurance at all. Many people have to lose money and take off from a minimum wage job to pay hundreds of dollars they don't have or have slated toward the bare necessities to take care of a sick child.

I don't know a lot about the Obama health care plan. What I can imagine is that it likely won't impact me too much. Sure, I might have to pay more, or my employer may have to make tough choices regarding benefits and coverage...but to some people, it might make a world of a difference.

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