I had hand surgery this morning. It hurts. Fortunately, I'm one of the lucky ones. My pain is physical and only temporary. Why? My employer pays 90% percent of my very comprehensive health insurance premiums. This was elective surgery--joint replacement in the base of my thumb. Without insurance, I probably would have had to do without and live in pain. Instead, I paid $10. I went to a nationally known hand specialist, at a nationally highly ranked hospital. $10 paid for nurses who called several days ago and pre-registered me for my procedure. $10 paid for a general anesthesia and post operative care. Once I'm ready for recovery $10 will buy an hour and a half session of occupational therapy. All in all, I will pay around $200 out of pocket.Health insurance is something many of us take for granted. DH gets annoyed when the candidates spend so much time on it in the debates--even when the moderator tries to change the subject. Statistics have shown that 62% of those polled place healthcare at the top of their list of concerns. We had a slight taste of this when our daughter reached the magic age where she came off my insurance. We were able to find a private, somewhat affordable plan which would not cover any condition she had been treated for in the past couple of years. What the . . .? Fortunately she was finally able to pick up her employer's sponsored plan after a few months. My advice to my college age son--find a job with health insurance. It's just that simple--or not.
We live in one of the wealthiest nations on earth. Why is it okay for a large segment of our society to be without health insurance?
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Bravo!
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