Thursday Thoughts- You've GOT to ask!

Today I definitely have something for you to think about. It concerns medical costs.

I know there has been a lot of debate and conversation about health care insurance and coverage and rising medical expenses, etc. ad naseum. I cannot stress enough how much you need to take care of things and be proactive in your care, but also in managing your expenses. Here is what really blew my top this past two weeks. . .

Remember last summer when I had that scare with my chest and it turned out to be fibroid cysts? Well, after a visit to my doctor a few weeks ago, he told me now he wants not only a mammogram, but an ultrasound of my chest, just to be sure. Okay. I'll schedule it. I decided to call my insurance first to see how much of it would be covered.

ZILCH.

Nothing is covered until I meet my deductible.

And I'm paying HOW MUCH every month for WHAT?!?!?

I thought, being a Dr. ordered mammogram, there would be no question of having it covered. BZZZT! Whammie!

So I start pricing it out, knowing that I would have to pay for it out of pocket. I spent a full DAY on the phone (in the end, I spent THREE days on the phone getting it all sorted out). Here's what I found out:

For a full mammogram at the hospital breast care center it is $450. The ultrasound will cost $1,000.

So who happens to have $1,450 just laying around for medical expenses? Not me, for sure! But what to do, because I have to put this to rest. It's pretty painful every month, so I want to make sure everything is okay in that area. So I called everywhere, even the county health clinic. By this time I was desperate. Long story short, the worker said even if I could qualify (which I can't) she would have to send me to an x-ray place.

Which got me to thinking. . .

So I called the X-ray place directly and here's the quote I got:

If I pay cash, not going through the insurance, my costs for a full mammogram and ultrasound will be:

$184.

Yes, your eyes are working just fine. That's a total difference of over $1,200.

Yes, I am absolutely relieved that I will be able to afford it. And completely steamed at the price difference.

When I called the hospital to cancel my appointment, they asked why? When I told the man my story, even HE could not believe it.

Moral: don't blindly accept what they hand you. ASK. QUESTIONS. GET PRICES. Go in with your eyes open. Knowledge is sometimes the most powerful tool and bargaining chip you have.

Yours, now waiting for my appointment in another week,

Melissa

Paradise Postponed

Yep, we had to cancel our trip to Mexico. Darn Swine Flu! If the World Health Organization had not raised the alert level to a 5, we would have still gone. Couldn't they have waited one more day? We were actually hoping that once we were down there, they would close the borders! (Gosh Darn It, we'll just have to stay a while longer!)

Although I'm sure we made the right decision, it's still hard to swallow. I keep looking at the clock this morning, thinking what we'd be doing right now. For instance, we'd be just landing in Dallas, ready to change planes and meet our oldest sister in a few minutes. Who, by the way, may never speak to my other sister and me again! Needless to say, she DID NOT want to cancel the trip.

So we'll talk to the travel agent this morning and try to plan something else for this month, in another part of the world!

And may I add, this is officially a commercial for Traveler's Insurance! We cancelled our trip 12 hours before we were to leave, and will either get all of our money back or be able to use it towards another vacation within the next year. That a GREAT deal for about 100 bucks!

So wish me luck that my sister speaks to me again and we find another destination before school lets out.

Karen

And in case you're wondering, I'm eating everything in sight today and getting a massage. Tomorrow I'll stop wallowing in self-pity!