The Importance of Health Insurance: ObamaCare

Hey Everyone,

So, I know it has been a while since I have posted but I’ve been resting for the past couple of days fighting off my Asthma.  I’m happy to say that I am at the tail end of it and should be back to 100% in the next day or two.  However, I do not want to spend much time on me and my asthma, I want to talk about how this last episode helped me appreciate the Obama Care and the fight for decreasing the number of uninsured Americans.

Let me start with a little background, I recently changed my health insurance and the effect is that not all of my asthma medicine is covered under my new policy “that’s a problem”, and I have to meet a deducible, so that raised one set of issues.  Then on top of that my doctor recently opened his own practice and still in the process of getting approved by all of the health insurances carries he is going to except but guess what?!?! My insurance company provider has not recognized his practice yet, meaning they can not accept my insurance WOW, OH NO….  So this is where it all began…

The first set of issues arose 2 weeks ago, when I went to rite aid to do a routine refill on my meds that ended up costing over $300.00, now mind you I only put in a refill for 3 medications, so you can imagine my surprise when they told me the amount.  I never paid that much for my meds before, so I asked them why it is so much.  They told me, since I had to meet a deducible with my new insurance company, and the new insurance company does not cover 1 of my medications WOW ok.   Issue #1, then I ran into another issue.  Friday morning my asthma was so flared up that I had to go to the doctor, I called my mom Friday morning as usual just to talk and her 1^st question when she heard me was, “HAVE YOU SPOKEN WITH YOUR ASTHMA DR? YOU NEED TO GET AN APPOINTMENT BEFORE THIS GETS BAD OR ANY WORST BECAUSE YOU DO NOT SOUND GOOD AT ALL!!!” I knew exactly what she was talking about so, I hang up with her and made an appointment, and then off to Fountain Valley I went… I arrived at the doctor and they asked for my insurance card, since they noticed that I had changed provides.  Not thinking twice, I handed them my new card, filled out some paper work, since it is technically a new practice and I waited to be seen.  A few minutes later the nurse calls me back up “umm MacKenzie, yea, so as you know we just opened this new practice and still in the process of getting accepted by the insurance companies, and unfortunately your provider is one of the only ones that has not yet accepted us, we are still pending.” At this point I’m thinking OK…. What are you saying what does this mean exactly… “Therefore, you will have to pay in cash today for the visit.” I looked back at my mom like WHAT, then they asked; “is that fine” I turn back and look at them like ok, $150.00 gone…

So I sit back down and think wow ok, now imagine if I did not have the money, here I am having trouble breathing, can barely talk because my lungs and vocal cords are swollen and inflamed yet if I didn’t have the $150, to pay for my visit they would have sent me home, WOW…

I’m seen by the doctor and it is immediately clear to him that I am in trouble, so he throws everything under the sun at me to help get me back to normal.  He sends me on my way with 3 prescriptions that need to be filled and a note to come back next week for a pulmonary test.  I go back to the front and before they scheduled me, they informed me that it is possible that everything may not be finalized with the insurance company by my next visit which will result in me having to pay cash for my pulmonary test, which will be $190.00, then they asked, “is that ok”.  I’m thinking ok yea I guess I so, I don’t really have a choice!!!   After I left the doctor I dropped my meds off at rite aid to get the prescription filled and waited.

 ***

I went back to pick up my meds and they told me the price of the medications I am coming to pick up is $200, one of which is 165.00… OMG, is what I was thinking to myself as I sat at the register waiting for them to get my meds.

All I can think is man imagine if I didn’t have the money to pay for this which is the case for some people who do not have insurance, or who couldn’t get insurance because of preexisting conditions.  Although this was only one incident it was essentially a $1,000, episode that had I not had the money could have turned into a trip to the ER.  With that said, I am completely for ObamaCare, people should be able to get the help they needed and not have to resort to ER trips, burdening tax payers, or breaking the bank trying to get the medications or care they need.  Although, I had the money to pay for my medications, treatments, and testing that I needed; it would have been a totally different story had I not had the money.  The doctor’s office would have turned me away, and rite aid would not have given me my medication, and my asthma would have gotten worst.  The story of many of Americans who were not insurance before ObamaCare came to the rescue.   And honestly until, these issues came I didn’t completely understand how important it is it be insured.

I do not believe that the insurance companies should have the authority to turn people down due to pre-existing health conditions.  Because they are in some cases setting the ground work for people being denied medical care and forcing them to either go to the ER or battling their medical issues on their own without medication, or paying astronomical amounts to stay health.

xoxo MacKenzie