Guest guest Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 I hope I haven't come across as if I'm minimizing the financial burden of paying out-of-pocket for medical care. I openly admit that if we had an HMO insurance plan or no insurance at all, we probably would not have seen Dr. ...at least not until we had tried more doctors who would have taken our insurance. We've been fortunate to have an insurance plan that he accepts. We already struggle to pay the deductibles and out-of-network co-pays, so the thought of losing our insurance and having to pay completely out-of-pocket is a nightmare to me. Now that we know it's possible to be on the other side of this disease (Hashimoto's), falling victim to it again is a terrifying thought. My children's treatments would come first, of course, and I'm sure we would do whatever we had to do to get the care and medications we need. My knowledge base is more solid now, so at least I wouldn't be totally back to square one grappling in the dark, searching for answers. We are planning for our future medical care and are doing the best we can, so I try not to project too far into the future, tormenting myself with " what ifs " . I watched my father-in-law suffer with cancer for two years before he was finally diagnosed and died six weeks later. The doctors were so slow to do tests and dig for answers that by the time they found them, it was too late. Too often, doctors are forced to pick and choose tests not based on their suspicions so much as in what order the patient's insurance company is going to demand. Sometimes those demands may be reasonable, but oftentimes, they're not, and the horrible truth is that people get sicker and sicker and sometimes even die while they wait for their insurance companies to decide their fate. I've learned a whole lot from this disease. I don't like having it, but I'm grateful for the lessons it has taught me and for the assertive, proactive person it has helped me to become. I am encouraging my children to educate themselves and to become financially strong and independent adults not because I want to see them living in big, fancy houses or driving expensive cars or taking luxurious vacations, but because I want them to be able to pay for their medical care without being dependent on insurance companies -- without putting their health and their lives in the hands of people who could care less. Tammie " " <marin@q...> wrote: > I'm not going to discourage ANYONE from seeing a good doctor, since I don't know any good ones, if you've got the money for this. It's just that it's a down payment on a car for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 I hope I haven't come across as if I'm minimizing the financial burden of paying out-of-pocket for medical care. I openly admit that if we had an HMO insurance plan or no insurance at all, we probably would not have seen Dr. ...at least not until we had tried more doctors who would have taken our insurance. We've been fortunate to have an insurance plan that he accepts. We already struggle to pay the deductibles and out-of-network co-pays, so the thought of losing our insurance and having to pay completely out-of-pocket is a nightmare to me. Now that we know it's possible to be on the other side of this disease (Hashimoto's), falling victim to it again is a terrifying thought. My children's treatments would come first, of course, and I'm sure we would do whatever we had to do to get the care and medications we need. My knowledge base is more solid now, so at least I wouldn't be totally back to square one grappling in the dark, searching for answers. We are planning for our future medical care and are doing the best we can, so I try not to project too far into the future, tormenting myself with " what ifs " . I watched my father-in-law suffer with cancer for two years before he was finally diagnosed and died six weeks later. The doctors were so slow to do tests and dig for answers that by the time they found them, it was too late. Too often, doctors are forced to pick and choose tests not based on their suspicions so much as in what order the patient's insurance company is going to demand. Sometimes those demands may be reasonable, but oftentimes, they're not, and the horrible truth is that people get sicker and sicker and sometimes even die while they wait for their insurance companies to decide their fate. I've learned a whole lot from this disease. I don't like having it, but I'm grateful for the lessons it has taught me and for the assertive, proactive person it has helped me to become. I am encouraging my children to educate themselves and to become financially strong and independent adults not because I want to see them living in big, fancy houses or driving expensive cars or taking luxurious vacations, but because I want them to be able to pay for their medical care without being dependent on insurance companies -- without putting their health and their lives in the hands of people who could care less. Tammie " " <marin@q...> wrote: > I'm not going to discourage ANYONE from seeing a good doctor, since I don't know any good ones, if you've got the money for this. It's just that it's a down payment on a car for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.