Health Insurance Headache

How many of us out there don't have health insurance? No need to raise your hand. I know the numbers are staggering. I've been caught in terrible situations, having no health insurance, and needing immediate medical attention. I'll first tell you what happened to me. Then I'll give a suggestion as to how you can prevent it from happening to you.

I woke up one morning same as any other. I thought I'd have some coffee, so I whipped some up real quick. Then I went to my computer and sat down. Over the course of a few minutes I developed an annoying little pushing pressure on the right side of my lower back. It wasn't long before the annoyance became too much to ignore.

Still, I thought little of it, and took a trip to the restroom. Things seemed a little better after that. Only a few minuets after revisiting my computer my back was bothering me again! Another trip to the bathroom had me trying to vomit my way to relief. Still the pressure was getting worse and I panicked.

I had no idea what was happening, and didn't know what to do. Soon I was running around the house, knocking things over. An hour later I was crawling, struggling to move. The pressure was pain, and it wasn't letting up. My brother called my mom off of work, and I was rushed to the E.R. I was put on Painkillers and laid up for the time being.

My chief concern once the pain was gone was whether I'd be able to work the next day, and how much this bill would cost me.

I was uninsured...

In a nutshell he doctor told me, "No, you can't work tomorrow. We'll have to operate tomorrow. You have a kidney stone."

Well, I had the surgery. They didn't get rid of the stone. However, they did place a small tube inside my uterus so that the stone could no longer put such horrible pressure on me. The doctor told me to go to a county hospital.

Why?

I had no insurance. So off I went. I went several times, traveling fifty miles or more to the county hospital. I applied and was accepted for a certain medical insurance program there. I waited almost five months to have my second and final surgery. I was unable to work the whole time, during which an unfamiliar manager took over the store. But I was $2,000 in the hole from this entire escapade.

It was later explained to me that Insurance companies are able to get hospitals to lower prices for their clients. A surgery that might otherwise cost $17,000 can easily be cut down to $4,000. My insurance company paid half of my $4,000 debt. For that I was grateful.

Later I was able to retake my job with the same company I had previously worked for. Here's what I did to insure future security. I talked to my new boss. I asked her if $20 could be taken out of every paycheck to go toward health insurance that the company uses. Her answer was positive, and I felt a sigh of relief leave me.

It was easy as that. I no longer had to worry about all the hassles, and debt should anything happen to me in the future. A little knowledge can go a long way, and save a lot of trouble. I encourage all who might be pressed for cash to consider easy health insurance solutions.