I’d like to start this blog by insisting that I am not an idiot. I don’t expect MENSA to spontaneously knock my door down or anything along those lines, but despite my dull moments I think I am at least as mentally capable as your average American. That’s an important point to remember as I muddle my way through this fun little story.
Two Fridays ago I found myself in excruciating pain from what I later found out was a stomach virus. Since I’m not the type to bother our medical system with small problems I decided to just ride out the symptoms. But as I lay by the commode weeping softly between the waves of pain I began to weigh the pros and cons of medical intervention.
I had some strong reasons for not going:
- I was inexplicably proud of the doctor-free streak I had going (no medical care since 2001!)
- All my friends tell me horror stories of huge bills that follow doctor’s visits (regardless of their insurance status)
I also had some strong reasons for going:
- I happened to have employer based health insurance at the time
- Judging from my pain and symptoms I really thought my life may be on the line
Being the rational man that I am I decided against going to the hospital. Unlucky for me my girlfriend is far less rational than myself. She took advantage of me in my confused state and strong armed me to the ER. After all was said and done I racked up over $12,000 in expenses in about 8 hours (this included IV drugs, time in a bed, and a CAT scan). I am personally responsible for $1,000 of that bill.
My takeaway from this escapade?
- Don’t go to the hospital unless my situation is many times worse.
- If I find myself at a hospital I will REFUSE ALL SERVICES UNTIL I SEE AN ITEMIZED LIST OF COSTS. I will call at least one other hospital and compare costs.
I realize that my decisions in this area are detrimental to my health, but being deep in debt is also detrimental to my health. I don’t do anything in my life without regard for cost. Vacations, hobbies, car repair, cloths, food, anything, EVERYTHING… I consider the cost of EVERYTHING before I do it. If we are going to insist on our current model for medical care I am going to avoid medical care at all costs. Should ‘avoiding’ fail I will insist on knowing the price of every service I receive. I will deny services that I deem to be medically unnecessary (despite the fact that I know nothing about what is best for me medically).
It really makes you wonder about the state of medical affairs in this great country if a relatively intelligent, insured, healthy, and financially stable person has decided that the system doesn’t work for him. I shudder to think what it must be like for the poor, uneducated, uninsured, or unhealthy. I don’t know what the solution is, but I can attest that there is a problem.