sinus-infectionHow, how, how are we going to fix the health care system? How can small business owners, families… ANYONE deal with the cost of health care? How can a simple sinus infection cost ~$300 to address?

I have a sinus infection. No big deal, right? It’s going around right now. But I’ve had it for more than a week, and it’s getting worse, not better. I’m starting to lose income because all I want to do is sleep. I’m grumpy. I’m whiny. And I have to run 13 miles tomorrow. I cannot afford to be sick.

So, yesterday I broke down and went to an urgent care clinic. I’ve had a lot of sinus infections, and usually I wait and wait and wait then go to the doctor only to have him give me antibiotics that make me feel better in 24 hours. So this time I decided to go a little earlier than usual to avoid the extra days of misery.

As a small business owner, I struggle with the costs of health insurance. I secured what amounts to coverage for catastrophic events, paying about $175 a month for a $5,000 deductible and a Health Savings Account, which I also pay into every month. Right now I have about $1,000 in it, so I figured I could spend a little to feel better. That’s what it’s there for, right?

I told the doctor I thought I needed antibiotics, and he went into the long explanation of why doctors no longer automatically prescribe antibiotics. Most of these colds are viral. Most of the time antibiotics will do no good. When we overprescribe antibiotics, it can contribute to the creation of antibiotic-resistant “super bugs” that are increasingly hard to treat.

I know all this, and I feel guilty that I was asking for an antibiotic. But I felt like I understood my symptoms very well and needed more help.

The doctor said one way to tell if an infection was bacterial was to get an x-ray of my sinuses — I think he said something about a snot-to-fluid ratio, but I’m not sure. All I heard was CHA-CHING! How much was an x-ray?

As the nurse was leading me down the hallway to the other department, I asked how much x-rays were. I started to get this panicky feeling in my chest — the visit to the clinic was likely to be $150. X-rays… maybe another $100? So $250 for the doctor to tell me to take two aspirin and pay on the way out?

For the first time in my life, I stood up to ask more questions about a medical test. I’ve had dozens of sinus infections — this was the first x-ray anyone had ordered. And I just couldn’t afford to wipe out a quarter of my health savings for a cold.

So I asked to speak to the doctor again first, and I started to cry (remember I was sick — and whiny). “All these expenses come out of pocket,” I said. “If your gut tells you this is viral, and you’re going to tell me there’s nothing that can be done, no problem… I’d prefer to just go home now without the x-ray.”

Long story medium, he did other tests and determined I needed antibiotics and other meds. Or maybe he was just giving into my whining. I don’t know. The prescriptions cost $125. The visit is going to be about $175, I think. That’s $300 for a sinus infection, and about 1/3 of my savings.

My stupid little sinus infection that I never should have seen a doctor for is so very, very minor. What if something big happened? What if I had kids? What if I couldn’t get health insurance or couldn’t afford to put money away? In fact, I was just thinking of slowing down my contributions to my HSA because I thought I had enough money stashed away. Now I know that even a small problem can wipe that account out.

I get scared, friends. I worry for people who can’t afford coverage. I imagine moms in a doctor’s office, knowing they’re facing medical bills they’ll have trouble paying when their kids are sick. Boyfriend D.J., who’s a bankruptcy lawyer, says medical problems are one of the factors that regularly seek people to ask for his help. What are we going to do?

I have no answers. But I have tons of questions.