Roll Up That Sleeve
It's that time again...and no, this isn't a plug for giving blood (which I did two weeks ago). It's time for the flu shot - a yearly ritual for me to avoid taking unnecessary PTO.
Along with this, I've had some recent angst about the healthcare system (or maybe not so recent). We're getting ready to renew our benefits here at work, and I was comparing plans and it's beyond me why preventative care just isn't covered like I think it should be. NC and I had a good discussion about this - and agree that as a society we are largely reactive.
I read a beautifully written article about a young woman (23 years old) who decided to have a double mastectomy since every female in her family had survived, died from or was living with breast cancer. She found out that she, too, had the breast cancer gene and took action against it. I admire her for being able to make that decision at such a young age. I also give her kudos for putting her story out there for other young women who may be dealing with the same situation. What I was not amused by was the amount of criticism she got from commenters. It was her choice, what say should random people have in it? One comment caught me off guard though. It was insurance related - a woman had one breast removed because cancer was found in it. What she wanted was both removed and the insurance company would not cover the other one and she could not afford it on her own. So now an insurance company tells you what you can and cannot do with your body, especially when, in all truth, you are trying to save them a lot of money by getting things taken care of on the front end. I guess their point of view is that it's not guaranteed that you'll get cancer in the other breast, so why pay to have it removed?
I guess my point is that I'm put off by all of this. And now, looking at my benefits, I'm wondering if I'll be coveredif I want to take a preventative measure against something happening or if there will be a loophole somewhere in the system that the insurance company can get through.
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in·sur·ance - any means of guaranteeing against loss or harm: Taking vitamin C is viewed as an insurance against catching colds.
Along with this, I've had some recent angst about the healthcare system (or maybe not so recent). We're getting ready to renew our benefits here at work, and I was comparing plans and it's beyond me why preventative care just isn't covered like I think it should be. NC and I had a good discussion about this - and agree that as a society we are largely reactive.
I read a beautifully written article about a young woman (23 years old) who decided to have a double mastectomy since every female in her family had survived, died from or was living with breast cancer. She found out that she, too, had the breast cancer gene and took action against it. I admire her for being able to make that decision at such a young age. I also give her kudos for putting her story out there for other young women who may be dealing with the same situation. What I was not amused by was the amount of criticism she got from commenters. It was her choice, what say should random people have in it? One comment caught me off guard though. It was insurance related - a woman had one breast removed because cancer was found in it. What she wanted was both removed and the insurance company would not cover the other one and she could not afford it on her own. So now an insurance company tells you what you can and cannot do with your body, especially when, in all truth, you are trying to save them a lot of money by getting things taken care of on the front end. I guess their point of view is that it's not guaranteed that you'll get cancer in the other breast, so why pay to have it removed?
I guess my point is that I'm put off by all of this. And now, looking at my benefits, I'm wondering if I'll be coveredif I want to take a preventative measure against something happening or if there will be a loophole somewhere in the system that the insurance company can get through.
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in·sur·ance - any means of guaranteeing against loss or harm: Taking vitamin C is viewed as an insurance against catching colds.
posted by mkp @ 9:34 AM
2 Comments:
At 1:07 PM,
Sheets said…
MKP! You are absolutely right. When I first moved here I came right at the time for choosing next year's benefits and I was really stressed out. It is appalling to think that you have to "guess" as to what you're going to need. Now that I've been here and gone to see a doctor for a check up... I understand how little motivation there actually is in this health care system to be PROACTIVE.
I miss Canada!
At 4:02 PM,
archana said…
it's shady, i totally agree. i don't really know what to think about insurance. i was lucky enough to buy some life insurance about 3 weeks before i was diagnosed, and i'm fairly certain that now they can't kick me out of their policies. but if i were to apply _now_, i'd be rejected right off the bat. and would be basically for the rest of my life. i guess that's more about what would happen in the event of my death, as opposed to dictating how i should live my life... but still a weird dimension on how insurance companies have a ridiculous amount of pull in our lives, no?
ps - way to blog again! i still love your posts.
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