That would be me.
I'm completely, 100 percent at fault for the high price you pay for health insurance. Sorry.
Well sort of.
I stopped by my trusty CVS Pharmacy (which filled more than 90 percent of prescriptions in less than 15 minutes last week, thank you very much) and dropped off a prescription for the insulin I use in my insulin pod (pictured!).
My pod provides me with a pancreas-like basal rate of insulin all day and night, then extra boluses (according to how much I'm eating and how my blood glucose numbers are) for meals, etc. It's a pretty ingenious and expensive system. It also makes my diabetes life very flexible, intuitive and healthy.
Bully for me.
But my supplies - insulin, test strips, thyroid medication and pods - don't come cheap.
For example - my insulin (the newest, best fast-acting stuff around) Apidra - costs $90 for one vial. I use three vials each month (that's $270 worth of insulin). With my insurance I pay $45.
See? That leftover $225 is paid for by everyone else with my health insurance and the company.
I also pay $45 for about $300 of blood glucose test strips that I use each month to monitor my levels. Whoa, I'm really getting off easy.
For me, health insurance is absolutely, positively essential. And it doesn't even cover everything, but it makes my good health affordable for me. Whenever I realize this I feel humbled and thankful. I certainly don't believe that healthcare in America is perfect, or very good in many ways. But I know I'm getting more than I'm paying for, but a long shot.
So, thank you.
3 comments:
Holy hell, Mandasaurus. Three cheers for health insurance is right, diabetes is one expensive enchilada.
I agree! When I was taking medication for my M.S., one month's supply of Rebif which was injected three times a week, cost 1,475!!! I payed $10 (Yay Mom and her great teacher's insurance!)
Insurance is absolutely necessary for people of poor health. But I've been on the flip side of not having health insurance. It really REALLY sucks when the insurance companies deny you for a disease you didn't as for and yet if you default on having insurance, you could be denied the rest of your life. So then you go on government insurance that doesn't actual cover anything except maybe an ambulance ride and They ask you for $950 a month for it. But Alas.. because you have a disease, you must pay it or get screwed over for the rest of your life.
Not that I'm bitter....
Looks like a good way to smuggle booze into a ballpark. Although security might be suspicious if I just glue a zip lock bag full of bourbon to my belly.
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