Health Care has always been an issue for me. I believe in universal care. I find it odd that the folks who don’t want to pay for health care for poor people, will gladly accept FEMA payments when their million dollar mansions are destroyed by weather. This is not the point of my blog so I’ll change back to my subject. I’m writing this because I can’t go another moment with this stuff inside my head.
After 23 years of working with the same employer, I lost my job, lost my pension, and lost my HEALTH CARE. I was offered COBRA, the method of keeping your health care after you lose your job. COBRA premium amounts made my head spin. I felt more than a little perturbed at receiving a bill for $24000.00 a year when I already had lost my only means of income. If I had known then what I know now, I would have paid it. I would have taken some of my annuity money and paid at least the first year. I was so distraught at being out of work, though, that I could not imagine using such a large chunk of my money to pay COBRA.
I paid my bills and made it through the first year. Then, I got a job. I applied for a position that required a Bachelor’s Degree and paid $13.00 an hour. My previous job paid 22.00. The New Employer offered medical insurance after six months for 270.00 a month. At my lower salary, my kids qualified for Medicaid so I opted out of the insurance for just myself. My prescriptions cost 173.00 a month so I thought I was saving myself some money.
Little did I know that there was a cancerous growth inside my body and as I said before, if I had known then what I know now. A routine exam, which cost only $85.00 after my uninsured discount, revealed an abnormality. The biopsy was positive. (I haven’t gotten the bill for that test yet.)
I am not sure if the experience in the doctor’s office should be a different blog but I’ll just insert it here. About four days after the biopsy, the doctor herself called. Just seeing her name on my caller ID sent my heart into palpitations. I answered immediately even though I was at work and should have had my cell phone turned off. Mrs. Dr. would not give any details, just that she had made an appointment to see me tomorrow at 8:00 am. I suppose she didn’t want to alarm me by telling me over the phone, but can you imagine what I did for the rest of the day? How did I drive home, prepare dinner for my kids? How did I sleep that night? All I could think was that in addition to letting my COBRA lapse, I had also not paid my life insurance premiums.
The next morning I dropped the kids off at parochial school and wondered how I would continue to pay for that. Then, at the doctor’s office, I stood at the reception window and gave my name. The medical clerk looked up at me, smiled, and directed me through the doorway to an exam room.
In the past, I had never waited for more than 20 minutes, but, this lightening fast appointment served to agitate my heart again. The doctor came into the room and introduced me to her boss who would take over my case. I can’t remember. Were my palms dry or wet? This doctor said, “We got the results of your test. And, is it cancer? Yes. Now, we have made arrangements to have you see our doctors in the cancer center. Can you go over there for some tests today?” I told him yes. “Do you have any questions?
I didn’t know what to ask, I could only look from him to my doctor and try not to cry. To her credit, my doctor asked me to wait in the lounge until she could confirm my other appointments and talk with me more. I waited. She came out and explained about the kind of cancer I had and what the procedures would be. Later, after I thought about it, the explanations should have made me feel better but at the time, I felt that I was sinking. I felt that I had only a short window of time left on this earth and that I'd better make some arrangements for my kids to have a decent life. The doctor explained:
I had endometrial cancer.
- It is a slow growing cancer and probably if you’re going to have cancer, this is the best one to have.
- I would meet the oncologist and his team and schedule surgery to remove the tumor and all surrounding organs, a complete hysterectomy.
- The doctors would decide after the surgery if there was growth in other places and if Chemotherapy was needed.
- I was referred to a counselor
- Because my doctor knew I had no health insurance, I was also referred to the hospital financial counselor who would help me find ways to pay.
