This update is about two weeks late.
I’ve been preoccupied with being fully entrenched in the daily grind of working life. On the positive end, I’m learning a lot and on the other end, I got to endure my first workplace bullying psychodrama. With the negativity behind me (hopefully) I can continue learning through some upcoming travel opportunities to other regional offices and I’m looking forward to a much-needed vacation in November with my mom in New Zealand. Yay! (more about that in the future!)
So I had promised to update you on the insurance coverage from my $75 doctor visit/prescription fees. I ended up getting $35 back from my insurance company, which isn’t bad considering I only pay about $85 a month. I had signed up for almost the bare minimum of health coverage because I don’t feel like paying a bunch of money for something I probably don’t need much at this stage in my life. I just need something to cover emergencies and allow me to stay in the country legally.
Getting the insurance was unbelievably easy. I searched online, found something catered towards visa holders and reasonable prices with terms and conditions that were actually readable. This is something I’m not used to. I downloaded their application, mailed it in, and voila, I was basically instantly covered from the day they received it. It was a one-page application, maybe two if you count the automatic payment details page. No medical exam, even. There was a 2 month waiting period before I could claim anything, but can you blame them when they only charge $85 a month!?! I hear these horror stories of people back home being charged upwards of $900 a month for insurance, with awful exams after which they give you a laundry list of reasons why your premiums should be higher. I definitely feel lucky in this department.
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Wow, I'm just catching up on your health insurance blogs. I hope you're feeling better now, btw. :) We definitely need better healthcare standards in the States, dammit. I'm pleased with the Health Care Reform Bill that recently passed, albeit a stepping stone toward further measures needed. The lack of paperwork sounds FABULOUS!
ReplyDeleteTo offer a unique perspective, though, I'm one of the only people I know who is actually happy with our family's health insurance. We pay $10 for office visits and most prescriptions. Our routine preventative care, immunizations, and Zora's checkups are all free. I pay $380/month for our entire family, which is really, really good. I used to pay about $100/month for just myself. That's through my employer, so I'm thankful for that benefit. It's a good thing the new bill has changed requirements in this regard.
We have a "triple option" HMO (never thought I'd go with an HMO), so anything in-network is free. Any visit to any ER is $100...period. No extra costs. If we're out of town, we can go to the nearest hospital and expect to pay no more than $100. If we're hospitalized under dire circumstances, we pay max 20%. At home, we can choose out-of-network providers (like my OB/Gyn), and only pay $20 for an office visit or 20% for further expenses.
The care we receive has been way better than we received with our previous PPO physicians. No long lines. Immediate appointments. Awesome doctors, nurses, and clinic staff. Nice clinics, too, with convenient hours.
It's not universal health care, but I'm happier. Now if we could just keep moving in the right direction (and electing leaders to take us there)... :)
oh yeah, i definitely think there are some great employer sponsored health care programs out there. i was one of the lucky ones back in the States as well... the horror stories i'm referring to are people who are unemployed right now due to the recession and those who own their own business. they're the poor souls who really get screwed out of the US health care system (if you can call it that!!) haha...
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