Finally Insured!

Yeah, finally Alice and I have medical insurance.  After reducing my hours, I was no longer eligible for benefits through my company.  Both Cobra and Dusty's work plan were WAY too expensive so that left us trying to find private insurance.   Hopefully, nobody who reads this will have to purchase private insurance, but in a nutshell overall, you have to pay a lot to get a little. 

We settled on a high deductible plan that pays for well child care and immunizations without meeting the deductible.  If we get sick, we will have to pay for those visits until we meet the deductible, but since the premiums are much less, it works out better in the end. 

It sounded great, and I applied for both Alice and myself.  Two weeks later, I get a letter stating I was denied.  I do not think I am an unhealthy person.  I reviewed the reason for the denial and it is because many years ago, I had Ulcerative Colitis which was cured through surgery that took place 9 years ago.  I had to write an appeal letter, and then wait 30 days to find out if they would insure us.  I found out today, that I was approved, and we will get our ID cards next week. 

Although it is still a high deductible plan, it makes me feel better to know that we are insured in case something horrible happens. 

Going through this process actually made me appreciate for the first time anything that Mr. Obama has done in office.  His health care reform bill doesn't really do much to improve health care; however, it does help sick people get insurance.  I didn't realize how necessary this really is until I experienced first hand first of all, how expensive private insurance is, and secondly, that they will even deny healthy people at a first glance.  I still feel that the system is incredibly broken, but I guess a baby step in the right direction is a start.