I'm ready to finally have health insurance again.
My only mode of transportation is a motorcycle. I've been riding without health insurance for nearly a year and it's been nerve racking. I've gotten into a mode where I can push the concern to the back of my mind. But it's always there, hiding.
As many of you know, I was recently in a motorcycle accident. If I had health insurance, I would have gone immediately to the emergency room as I was suspicious my wrist was broken. Instead, I waited nearly 24 hours before going to an urgent who found a fracture in my wrist. The radiologist turned over that finding and said it was only a shadow. I continue to be suspicious that there was a hairline fracture that went unnoticed.
If I had health insurance I would have had more x-rays taken. But, without insurance, that was not an affordable option.
Everything I do that carries any amount of risk stimulates that part of my mind that harbors the knowledge I don't have health insurance and that, if anything catastrophic should happen, I could literally go bankrupt at the age of 23.
I also have a preexisting condition that costs me about 300 dollars a month. It would cost me about 1000 dollars a month but thankfully my doctor has been providing me with samples. For nearly the past year, I have been watching my meager income vampired up by the pharmaceutical companies.
I've been denied by:
<Private insurance - My preexisting condition was deemed too risky by the underwriters. I was offered coverage for all other healthcare needs. But I could not afford the somewhat useless insurance on top of my other non-covered care.
<AHCCS - The program ran out of money and would not accept any more applications
<Employer insurance - At various times, I did not qualify for working under 30 hours per week. But, ultimately, I was disqualified because of my preexisting condition.
<University student health insurance - The provider, AETNA, had a well hidden preexisting condition clause I did not find until I had built up hope it would work.
I've been denied probably a dozen times. Each denial letter made me cry bitter, hateful tears born of my confusion and disillusionment with a world where I had literally NO health insurance options. That takes a real toll on the psyche. Especially when the preexisting condition I have is depression and anxiety.
I continue to be a huge advocate for single payer or a totally nationalized system. I still believe that should be the ultimate goal of healthcare reform in the United States. I also accept the fact that the ACA is flawed, probably in many ways yet to be detected.
But, do you want to know what I'm really read for? I'm ready to have health insurance again. I'm ready to get that nagging worry out from the back of my mind. I don't want to feel like an undesirable anymore. When the GOP go on and on about the evils of the ACA, what they are really saying to me is I don't matter. That my life is worth less than theirs. Well, they're wrong. Wrong as any person could possibly be...
Because the bottom line is I am a human being with intellect and emotions and a heart, literal and figurative, and flesh and blood and I deserve proper medical care and I deserve it at an affordable rate. And so does every other human being.
I deserve this. I am entitled to this and so are you.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Second, see the first item 
I did use the qualifier "most" - there's always exceptions - but if you (or anyone) is in a vehicle accident, don't skip getting care as your vehicle insurance should cover you. Good idea to check the policy before something happens - and to keep away from cars who don't pay attention to bikes on the road (my brother and husband ride, so I'm hyper vigilant around bikes, hoping karma works).
