Plain and simple, the insurance plan I have from my job sucks. They cover 80% of expenses, and I cover 20%. It doesn’t sound bad, until it adds up. I’ve been having an ongoing medical issue (not related to work). I visited the ER recently, and got a scan of my head done. I owed $1300… i make $3,000 a month after taxes, that’s almost half my income for the month gone.
Well I’ve been seeing my primary care doctor. He doesn’t know what is wrong with me (we’ve tried a few different things). He has referred me to a neurologist for an MRI. Well the cost for me out of pocket is about $2500… almost a whole month worth of pay. I asked before scheduling an appointment to see how much id owe. (Appointment is in 3 months because this place is so booked, and they don’t have a cancellation list).
Well I emailed my “HR” person. (I work in a small town, so she’s the person covers payroll, HR, a lot of other stuff etc. I asked her if there was a higher tier plan that I could enroll in, and if I could pay the difference each month. (The city doesn’t make us pay for our health insurance, and now I know why. It’s pretty much the lowest tier plan).
I explained to her why I was asking, and explained the cost of my medical bills racking up. Her reply? She asked if I was seeing doctors in network. And that “it sounds like your not, that’s why you’re paying higher deductibles.” Um excuse you, the doctor I’m seeing I chose because he IS in network, which I confirmed by the insurance. The ER I went to IS in network, also confirmed by the insurance. She kindly offered to double check to see if the doctors I’m going to are in network.
I really want to send a nasty reply. I think what I’ll do is tell her I have confirmed that both places are in network. The neurologist where I’m getting an MRI is in network. But id like her to double check. Mostly so she can see for herself.
I make $37k a year… spending $3300 on medical costs so far (and possibly more if this MRI doesn’t show anything) is a lot for me. Hope this post is okay here, I’m irritated lol.