I'm on an antibiotic. I'm not going to say why because I believe that boundaries are our friends, and I know where this kind of conversation can lead and I don't want to hear about your medical problems. It's not that I don't care, it's just that ... who am I trying to fool? I don't care. The only reason I bring up my problem is to rant. Earlier in the week, my doctor prescribed a course of treatment: 3 pills for 3 days. Simple enough. So, I took the prescription to the pharmacy and learned that my insurance company would only pay for 2 pills at a time. Sure, that makes sense. I mean, paper-pushing penny-pinchers clearly have a MUCH better idea about what I need than MY DOCTOR. I took my 2 pills and came home.
Yesterday, I called in my "refill." I've just returned from the pharmacy. Seems the insurance company won't pay for me to take 3 pills in one week, no matter what MY DOCTOR (you know, the guy with the medical degree) thinks is an appropriate course of treatment. I tried to explain to the pharmacist that we've already tried it the insurance company's way and it didn't work. She was sympathetic but in the end, I lost the battle. In my frustration, I said, "You know, if this was Viagra, the insurance company would give me as much as I wanted anytime I wanted it." She nodded sympathetically, leaned toward me and muttered, "Yeah, we all know who makes these laws." Horny frustrated old men, that's who.
I took my outrage to Starbucks to refill my coffee supply. Good thing the insurance company isn't standing between me and my caffiene. Heads would roll and cities would burn, I tell you! As I waited for my beverage, I glanced around. Everywhere I looked, students had their noses buried in textbooks - on a holiday weekend. Warmed this cynical professor's heart. None of them were studying history and none of them were my students, but at least I'm not ready to throttle anyone anymore.
Showing posts with label health insurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health insurance. Show all posts
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Cost of Getting Old(er)
As I approach a landmark birthday (the one that rhymes with "Lordy, Lordy"), I am trying to convince myself that this milestone won't make any difference. I'll be just as young at heart the day before my birthday as the day after. I'll still be able to bend farther than most of the young'uns in my yoga class, and I'll still have more brown hair than gray. Forty is the new twenty, I tell myself.
The calming effect of this soothing mantra was shattered today. I received a notice from my health insurance company, telling me that they were raising my rates. Why? Well, in their words, "You have recently had or are about to have a birthday that puts you in a new age range category." Effective October 1, they'll charge $25 more each month for exactly the same services.
No happy birthday wishes. No recognition that I exercise more now than I did when I was twenty. No recognition that I'm a more careful driver, that I no longer spend Saturday nights in loud smoky bars, and that I only read in well-lit rooms. Nope. Just - "You're old, now pay up!"
I really don't understand this. It seems completely arbitrary. Do doctors charge more to test and cure people who are 40 or older? Will pharmacists say, "If you were still 39, we'd charge you $10 for this medication. Since you're over 40, it's now $45"? Should I expect my health to start deteriorating immediately after I blow out the candles? Maybe I shouldn't blow at all, for fear that I'll pass out and require both stitches and treatment for second degree burns. That's sure to run up my health care costs.
The thoughtful health insurance company does offer one solution. I can opt for a plan with a higher deductible. I'd still pay an extra $15/month, and I'd have to pay more out-of-pocket before the health insurance kicks in. Somehow, this doesn't seem helpful, especially since I'll be infirmed anyday now.
Here's the good news in all of this. When I start my full-time job next month, I can drop my self-paid health insurance like the age-ist hot potato that it is. So there. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
The calming effect of this soothing mantra was shattered today. I received a notice from my health insurance company, telling me that they were raising my rates. Why? Well, in their words, "You have recently had or are about to have a birthday that puts you in a new age range category." Effective October 1, they'll charge $25 more each month for exactly the same services.
No happy birthday wishes. No recognition that I exercise more now than I did when I was twenty. No recognition that I'm a more careful driver, that I no longer spend Saturday nights in loud smoky bars, and that I only read in well-lit rooms. Nope. Just - "You're old, now pay up!"
I really don't understand this. It seems completely arbitrary. Do doctors charge more to test and cure people who are 40 or older? Will pharmacists say, "If you were still 39, we'd charge you $10 for this medication. Since you're over 40, it's now $45"? Should I expect my health to start deteriorating immediately after I blow out the candles? Maybe I shouldn't blow at all, for fear that I'll pass out and require both stitches and treatment for second degree burns. That's sure to run up my health care costs.
The thoughtful health insurance company does offer one solution. I can opt for a plan with a higher deductible. I'd still pay an extra $15/month, and I'd have to pay more out-of-pocket before the health insurance kicks in. Somehow, this doesn't seem helpful, especially since I'll be infirmed anyday now.
Here's the good news in all of this. When I start my full-time job next month, I can drop my self-paid health insurance like the age-ist hot potato that it is. So there. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
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