More Money Spent With Insurance???

I just can't get it off my mind.
It was late Friday afternoon, 9 days ago when I found out from the doctor my 10 month old needed a 2nd round of antibiotics to kill off a nasty ear infection. His ear drum was about to rupture and the first round of amoxicillin had no effect on his infection.

I packed my 10 month old and 3 year old into the van and headed to the pharmacy.
We made it to the pharmacy right before they were to close. The nurse had called in the prescription. I bribed my 3 year old not to touch anything, lifted my 27lb baby and off we went to get the medicine. We followed the normal pathway to the pick up window, said hi to our friends.

The pharmasict handed me the medicine and said "$119 dollars." I thought I heard him wrong and replied, "Excuse me?" He said again,"$119.00". I was stunned. I have an HSA account and save for situations like this, but come on $119? I asked if there was a generic version available and learned for Cefdinir, there is no generic. I just stood there for a minute processing the expense.

After having 3 children, who are now 5, 3, and 10 months, I have NEVER paid more than $30 for a medicine. I immediately felt confused, frustrated, and at the mercy of everyone who had been, and was currently on the other side of the counter from me. I thought, is this a joke? I knew it wasn't. It had finally happened, I had been sucked into the world of healthcare. Damn it!! Now I had to educate myself on politics and the money trail so I can do everything in my power to avoid being a victim of healthcare policies, or just the wrong policies. I'm not really sure at this time.

To continue on my discussion with the pharmasist: After about 45 seconds of silence on my end, the pharmacist says to me, "do you have an insurance deductible?"

Me: "Yes, why?"

Pharmacist: "Well, there is a way I can save you some money. If you apply this toward your deductible the insurance company tacks on money and you have to pay $119. If you pay it yourself and reimburse yourself through your HSA without applying it to your deductible, you only need to pay $60."

Me: "Your telling me my INSURANCE COMPANY IS TAKING ON A $60 FEE FOR ME TO APPLY THIS TOWARD MY DEDUCTIBLE?

Pharmacist: ((crooked smile))

Me: "How can they do that? I pay them an insurance premium already and now they charge me more when my baby needs the medicine??? I guess you would tell me to follow the money?"

Pharmacist: ((smirk))

I couldn't believe it. I work hard for my money. I work hard to provide a safe, clean, healthy life for my family. Honestly people, as a full time working mother of 3 children ALL in public daycare, I can tell you, I ONLY WORK FOR INSURANCE and retirement. After the expense of childcare I simply only benefit from working in regards to insurance and retirement. Really??? Why not be a milker of the system and quit work, stay home, not pay taxes and work all the loop holes in the system? Maybe those ARE the smart people. Maybe I have it all backwards. Atleast their time is spent with their loved ones and not people who really won't matter in 20 years.

Then it hit me, what about the people without jobs, the ones who just lost their jobs through a layoff or a closure? What about the families already suffering with a child who has a major illness? What about the upstanding people who have worked hard to simply pay the doctor bills they have acquired AND have managed to pay those bills and then the insurance company adds on money for an already detrimental medicine??? What about the families who have lost everything to fight medical bills for a dying child? Where is the help? What can be done? Who is fighting for these rights??

So, now I venture into yet another topic of which I feel I know nothing about and need to learn something, if for nothing more than the protection and education of my family. We'll just tack this onto my quickly growing list of things I would like to do in my spare time.

Look for this list in my next blog which will be about things I would like to do in my spare time.