Al and I will not be exchanging gifts this year, but we HAVE been spending a lot of money!
This year we are 'giving' each other health care. The past six weeks we have been busy with doctor, dentist and optometrist appointments. Lab work, prescription refills, fillings, dental cleanings, exams, and glasses.
This morning we finished up our dental care, and a summary was printed for us, to help with tax records. We have spent over $2800 for dental care alone.
This afternoon I sat for a third refraction in the past six weeks. I have another appointment for the week we return to Friday Harbor in January. I have a 'beam splitter' cataract in my left eye, and my vision has fluctuated by over a diopter. Likely, cataract surgery is in my NEAR future. The good news? It is entirely possible that I may not need glasses post-surgery. The bad news? With our catastrophic health insurance policy, the surgery would be an out-of-pocket expense for us. More THOUSANDS of dollars.
(We are still paying for Al's appendectomy.)
I have a mammogram scheduled for January. It has been three years since my last one, when my sister was diagnosed and began treatment for breast cancer.
And I am now 50 and due for that 'procedure' we all dread. We have decided, with all our other care in the past year and pending, that this 'gift' can be postponed for now.
Yup. This is our most expensive Christmas yet.
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My Soap Box is just a itching...
ReplyDeleteToday my MD and I had a conversation about medical care in the USA, interesting to hear his viewpoint. In short: He and I agree, Health Care in this USA is so broken. We pay far more (up to 3x) then ANY other Country, and our overall results are ranked right in the middle of 3rd world countries.
Yup, answer for affordable healthcare in the USA is LEAVE! (perhaps get one of those ex-pat coverage plans. Allows one to return to the USA for procedures, if one wants, and pay about 1/10th the overall cost...)
I have more thoughts / details on this, but this is enough. And for those FOX news viewers, sorry if this offend. But fact are facts, and I do not expect our 'leaders' to correct it any time...
BTW: Just to be clear, I have been a Republican for all my life, so there.
The joys of getting older are still much better than the other option!
ReplyDeleteBTW: Our broken health care was a bi-partisan product and must be fixed the same way!