Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Always Be Prepared

First off, Dan still has the cough but is feeling ok otherwise. Other than being bummed that it isn't gone yet, there isn't much else to report at the moment. We'll go in next week for a chest CT to see if there is anything we need to be concerned about. Until then, we just keep keeping on.

This week, we ran into a bit of delay with the insurance company when we went to have Dan's prescription re-filled. Although it has since worked itself out, it did remind me that even those like us who are super diligent about insurance can run into roadblocks. And how important it is to make sure you have the most comprehensive and flexible insurance possible. The last thing you want is to find your self with limited options because you wanted to save $20 a paycheck. The funny thing about insurance is that you really don't know how much you need it until... well, you need it! And I say this from personal experience. I have my own chronic thyroid condition (no big deal- just take a pill every day). It took me 4 separate doctors to get the right diagnosis and treatment. It was a wake up call to me that someone else ultimately decided what was covered and what doctor I could see. You can bet I upgraded my insurance coverage the next year!

Dan and I say this all the time when it comes to managing your heath- when you apply to college, you pour over catalogues, slave over essays & visit many schools before selecting the best fit. Yet, when it comes to insurance or choosing a doctor, many people take the first one that is offered. I think you can recover from a bad college choice, but why would you want to gamble with your health?

On a side note, it actually costs me more out of pocket to get my daily thyroid medication than it does for Dan to get his cancer meds which cost 10x more in total. Go figure.

On a second side note, when we went to pick up the meds at our local drug store, the cashier asked if we wanted to use bonus bucks for the prescription. Obviously the guy had no idea he was handing over thousands of dollars of cancer drugs. It gave us a good chuckle- bonus bucks for cancer drugs. We should get a million of them!!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Meg & Dan,

So glad to hear you have a scan scheduled for nextw eek--I think that is so important to put everyone's mind at ease and know if another direction will be needed.
Love, Patrice

Obsessedwithlife said...

Thanks for the note! I've been following your blog. I think we're good for this year but maybe next year?

For Meg-I also have a thyroid that doesn't quite work right b/c of all the treatments...our local grocery stores and I think Walgreens offer thyroid medicine for really cheap w/ or w/o insurance!

R