Some Crazy Post About Medical Stuff

   "There is  difference between the two temporal blessings-

health and money; 

money is the most envied, but he least enjoyed;

health is the most enjoyed but the least envied;

and this superiority of the later is still more obvious when we reflect."

-Charles Caleb Colton

 This is my crazy, possibly uneducated-in-the-subject rant post about medical/insurance, so sorry if it bores, irritates or otherwise negatively affects you...so here we go. 

 As a child growing up in a larger family without access to affordable insurance, I rarely went to the doctor.  Doctors were for when you're sick and I mean life-threateningly sick, none of that I have a cough, fever, headache, tummy upset sick.  Most maladies were treated with the wait and watch your body overcome on it's own mentality, and it almost always did.  The times we were taken to the doctor were well warranted necessities and always handled perceptively and promptly.

Growing up I saw some of my friends go to the doctor for sniffles, coughs and the like and always wondered why the bother, the doctor will simply tell you what you already know:  'Get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take something to relieve the symptoms.' I also heard the adage that doctors are there to keep you healthy, not fix you when you're sick, but I feel that unless you have a 'condition' warranting regular care, what can a doctor tell me that I don't already know:  Eat healthy, exercise often, drink plenty of water, and the proper amount of sleep.

I continued to adopt that attitude, not wanting to contribute to the epidemic of over-prescribed antibiotics or pay the exorbitant price of medical care. (I tend to be very frugal). Reasonable health habits, though I could always use improvement, have resulted in few doctor visits.  In my thirty-two years I've visited the dentist four times and gotten a passing grade of cavity-free teeth and healthy gums every-time.  A few doctor visits for various maladies have resulted in quick health care with less cost to me than insurance premiums would have been.  I went through pregnancy and childbirth with the aid of a mid-wife and paid far less than my deductible would have been on the mediocre insurance I was carrying at the time through my employer, and had a satisfying dare I say enjoyable experience.

I eventually took Zoey to the doctor to start immunizations when she was 5 months old and received her first well-baby check-up.  The doctor told me she was growing and developing fine (all things I knew from reading child-rearing books and the internet) and charged me a small fortune.  At the time, with one income and an infant in diapers, it took me 2 months to pay a bill that was "supposed" to incur monthly.  I decided to return only for immunizations which cost a mere $15 without a check-up.  Note: I only did immunizations up to age 1 requirements, though she will receive all of them, just at a later age, due to the hugely controversial information online and lack of evidence on both sides to prove their point, but that's a whole different subject entirely.

Not that the no-doctor policy is always the best, I do admit I let some small things slide health-wise, so since we moved to Midland, and since one of us, John, is finally working for a company which can provide decent health coverage, I decided to address some of these health issues and get Zoey into a pediatrician to get a check-up and finish her immunizations.  I started to call around and schedule appointments.  Some doctors were easy to schedule, but pediatricians are impossible in this town.  Many will only accept family, infants, or older kids, and nobody could get us an apointment.  Those who would take her put us on a waiting list.  If they didn't ask me to come in and apply, the conversation always went something like this:

 "How long is the waiting list?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, I don't know."

"Can you tell me if I'll be waiting days, weeks, or months?"  --I'm not asking for her to be exact.

"No ma'am, just till the doctor tells me to call ya'll."

"Okaaaaay, put me on the list...."

Scheduling the appointment is easy for some doctors, but what I found is this:  Even with insurance, doctors are still expensive, although we can afford it, the frugal me is often cringing as I write the check.  I find that I easily pay the same to double what I paid for same services I received  without insurance.  Admittedly, I've never had a personal doctor and I often went to the income based doctors whether or not I qualified for a price reduction, but these are not life-threatening  maladies I'm seeking treatment for and the final result has proven to be the same.  I know insurance is there for the big-what-if's, but I also thought insurance was supposed to make health care more affordable....I might have been off on that one.

I guess the medical/insurance game is all new to me, but I'm jumping in and trying to learn as I go.  Over the next few months, I have a general doctor appointment, 2 specialists, 2 dentist appointments (Zoey and I each),  and that waiting list I'm on.  After it all I'll see if I feel the insurance is pulling any weight.  Either way I'm trying to use it as much as possible while we have it and make sure we're as healthy as I think we are and want us to be, but I'll probably always grumble when I pay the doctor bills.