I think it's finally time for me to reflect on this time last year. Mostly because I have no desire to reflect on this time this year.
This is what I thought we would be getting.
But this is what we actually got, am I right?
While the pandemic had yet to reach America (as far as we know) back in January 2020, I was dealing with some concerning respiratory symptoms. Mainly a cough. It was a constant tickle in my throat that I could not get rid of, like a Reddit notification.
So I did what anyone in my position would do.
And by my position - I mean an American with American healthcare.
I complained and then insisted I was fine when anyone suggested going to see a doctor. I don't know about you, but where I come from (again, America), doctors cost money. I was convinced that it would cost me between $40 and $90 to see my doctor. Now I am not sure where I got these numbers from. I super don't understand insurance. My thought process is to look at the highest price on my insurance card, and if that doesn't seem worth it, then don't go to the doctor. BUT! Take advantage of the healthcare you know is free. Grocery store cart wipes. Public restroom soap. Restaurant napkins.
So I continued to live my life and hack up my lungs until my throat felt like raw beef jerky, if you can imagine that. I finally broke down and asked my mom what the copay would be if I went to the walk-in clinic at my doctor's office. I didn't want to ask her earlier because she might have tried to bully me into "putting my health first" and "skipping Hobby Lobby this week" and other things I don't want to do.
When Missy informed me that my copay should be $10, I figured I could swing the office visit. So I got up early and headed to walk-in hours, motivated by the hope of strong medication and Sandra's donuts.
I got to see my normal doctor and after listening to my lungs and hearing my other symptoms, she said I needed to go downstairs for a chest x-ray. Not so fast Dr. N! First, I had 2 very important questions for her.
1 - Would I need to remove my earrings for the x-ray. Because if so, it just wouldn't be worth it. No one has that kind of time and patience. I'll just have to die.
And 2 - How much would it cost? Now, my doctor said she didn't know. But I simply could not accept that.
When you see a cute tote bag in the 50% off bin, and the price tag doesn't show the 50% discount so it might be $10, but it could be $5...that is a calculated risk that I am willing to take. If it's not on sale I can always have the cashier take it off my ticket. Or I can mention that it was advertised as on sale and see if they make me an offer.
But with a medical procedure...what are my options? I certainly can't give the x-ray back. Mainly because they didn't let me keep it but also because the cost is mainly due to the equipment needed for the procedure itself and not the film it's printed on.
As much as I understood that my doctor really did not know how much it would cost me after insurance, I needed her to understand that unless I got a reasonable estimate, they would not be radiating my chest cavity.
So I pulled out my insurance card because we were gonna do this together. Now this poor woman is probably thinking "I did not go to 4 years of medical school and complete a residency to answer insurance benefit questions." And I totally get that. She had more important things to do. But ultimately, she was more willing to do a task beneath her skill set than I was willing to pay for a procedure above my salary.
She came back with paperwork verifying the x-ray was free and after pinky promising that I wasn't with child and keeping all 12 of my earrings in, they performed the x-ray.
Oh yeah, I had walking pneumonia. Nothing like Waltzing Matilda.
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