A trip to my new pharmacy
Moments ago I carefully peeled some non-cancelled Star Wars stamps from a package my sister sent me for Halloween. I glued $1.62 of recycled postage on an envelope bound for CanadaDrugs.com. I then plodded barefoot to the mailbox a block from my house and sent off my prescription for refilling. This is how I take a trip to the pharmacy these days.
Getting long-term private health insurance is a pain in the patootie. I had great insurance when I worked for other people, but by myself the options are insanely limited. I could have continued my COBRA coverage for about $450 a month, but instead I opted for a very basic coverage that costs me about $125 a month.
My deductible is $5000 a year. I don’t think I’ve ever spent $5k in health care in one year. If I filled my prescription here in the US, the cost is $168 a month since there’s no generic. My cost for the generic from Canada is $137 for 100 pills (three months). Of course, I can’t use my Health Savings Account to pay for Canadian medication, but it’s still a much better deal to get the drugs from Canada.
I also live in fear that the health insurance will be canceled or the price will increase or whathaveyou. I have no assurances. When I started working for myself as a freelance copywriter, I joined the National Association for the Self-Employed in hopes that their health insurance providers would be a better deal. In reality, the rep was creepy, used-car-salesman-y, and the plan was much more expensive than I was able to find on my own. Another reason that I didn’t go with that company? The FIRST thing the guy with the health insurance quotes did was to ask, "Hey, are you sure you don’t want to just get a job to help with your insurance?"
Wha?
NASE does provide access to tax and legal support for small businesses that I may be using very soon, but they suck for health insurance.
But then again, the health insurance system just kinda sucks in general.
Wendy on 09 Nov 2007 at 9:43 am #
Health insurance is a depressing situation. I’ve also had excellent health care when the tab was picked up by my employer. I’ve also had no health insurance, COBRA, and everything in between. Right now I’ve got Blue Cross through my employer, but I pay dearly for it.
If health insurance were a non-issue, people’s lives would change drastically. We’d see more and more people working at jobs they loved. As it is now, probably 95% of people who are employed stay at a job they detest simply for the health insurance. I know I did for 12 years.
Moonbeam McQueen on 10 Nov 2007 at 8:11 pm #
That was one of the most difficult decisions about leaving my job, but I decided that I wasn’t going to keep crawling in there every day just to keep my benefits. It’s so weird the way it worked– the job stressed me out and ruined my health, then I relied on the insurance to fix it. Phooey on that! Now I’m uninsured, unemployed, and much happier. I’ll have insurance again, I’m sure, but in the meantime, I’ll just have to break into drugstores to get my prescriptions filled.
Beth Ziesenis on 13 Nov 2007 at 4:11 pm #
Wendy and Ms. McQueen,
Isn’t it amazing that this issue can paralyze our careers? I’m so fortunate that I have just myself to think about. I could have never ventured off if I had a family. Or a husband. Or a boyfriend.
Oops. Off track again.
The San Diego man you should meet | Life on Avenue Z on 17 Mar 2008 at 8:41 am #
[...] outside the regular schedule, I share them. I talk about my hair cuts, my trips to the post office, my trips to the pharmacy. I went away for a weekend, and I talked about the passion of jazz musicians. I am going to a St. [...]