Lately I've been hanging out with a friend of mine who was diagnosed with "Triple Negative" Breast Cancer. I don't know what that means, but I know that they have given her about 2 years to live. She has agreed to be part of an experimental treatment program, and, with the help of Heaven, she is fighting her terminal diagnosis like hell.
My OBGYN actually retired about 6 years ago. I was not yet 40, and he had not suggested that I get my mammogram. I have never had one. In fact, I have not had a pap test in the past 6 years as well.
Because of my friend's heart and courage, I have been inspired to make an appointment for the tests. I'm not looking forward to it, but I will do it. There are, however, a few issues to consider. The main issue is that until about a year ago, I had health insurance. My HSA plan was supposed to pay for everything after I payed the first $5000. The premium had doubled in a few short years, and we decided that it made more sense to make payments AFTER something happens than it was to pay their rising premiums for service that we never used.
People say, "How can you do that? What if something BAD happens?!" Well, here's how I figure it: Premiums for a plan that had a $5000 deductible (that we never hit), plus what ever deductible we actually pay out was totaling about $4400 per year. Now, if I were to save that $4400 per year I could potentially insure myself for an expensive emergency (Average visit ranges from $1600 - $6500). More serious situations could take several years to pay off.
If I were to be diagnosed with a terminal illness, I currently have life insurance that would help my family recoup a good deal of that expense.
I guess my point is that when you weigh the chances of something bad happening vs the cost of the insurance, I believe we reached a point of diminishing return. Does that mean that I expect the government to take care of me? No. I plan on doing my best to pay what I can. Anything that my insurance would have covered would be possible for me to repay anyway.
Here's hoping (and praying) that we get a clean bill of health... That I'll be paying for myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment