My name is Lilia.  Last year I got sick, lost my job, and lost my health insurance in that order.  More important than the details of how this came to be is how I purchased my own insurance from Blue Cross Blue Shield and while receiving “free” health insurance from the county.  Below is a side by side comparison of each.

January 2009

• PRIVATE - Applied for Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance.  Was approved within days and making appointments on the 15^th of January.  Had to pay for my own prescriptions until deductible kicked in.  About $25 for the month because I switched to a cheaper, generic one.

February 2009

• PUBLIC - Applied for public insurance, which has no charge but isn’t free due to the fact that I have to pay for it on my property taxes each year whether I use it or not.
• PRIVATE - Saw three specialists of my choice using BCBS.  Had lab work done.

March 2009

• PUBLIC - Was approved for public insurance.  Had to go to their office on their time to sign papers.  Afterwards, called appointment line three times early in the morning and had hold times of about 20 minutes before scheduling my first appointment with a primary care doctor.
• PRIVATE - Follow ups with specialists.

April 2009

• PUBLIC - Felt awful and went to assigned clinic as a walk in patient.  Waited for four hours to see a nurse.  She told me I needed to see a doctor and that one wasn’t available that day for a walk in patient, but I could go to the county ER.  Went to the county ER.  Got their at 7:00 p.m. and took a spot in the waiting room.  Was called in sometime the next morning to a different waiting room.  Was given a CT scan in the afternoon, despite my protests that I had already had two CT scans and was refused the test(s) I actually wanted.  Discharged after CT results at 7:30 p.m. the next day.  No food or resting place was offered the entire time I was there.  Felt loads worse than before I came in.  Parking was more expensive than co-pay.
  • PRIVATE - More follow ups with specialists who conducted tests we both agreed on.

  May 2009

  • PUBLIC - First appointment with primary care doc as scheduled in March.  She took my info, gave me refill on prescriptions, and referred me to specialist.
  • PRIVATE - Had to pay for an expensive test that I wanted done at county ER out of my own pocket that wasn’t covered by this insurance.

  June 2009

  • PUBLIC - Follow up with same primary care doctor.  Did the exact same thing as before.  Also scheduled me for a gyno appointment even though I didn’t want or need it.
  • PRIVATE - Still too broke from previous month to see a doc.

  July 2009

  • PUBLIC - Gyno appointment as scheduled.  She said I didn’t need it, and I didn’t enjoy it.
  • PRIVATE - Saw specialist, had work done.

  August 2009

  • PUBLIC - Still waiting to see the county specialist.  I don’t have any idea if I’m even on the list.  Have called several times to see what the delay is and get the usual “long wait list, doctor is busy” excuse.
  • PRIVATE - Same as before.

  To give you more of a glimpse, the private insurance runs me $200 a month, plus a portion of all the tests, labs, etc. I have done.  I have no idea of my current debt, but estimate it in the thousands.  However, I owe no money to the county and have gotten exactly what I paid for.  Even with my limited means of producing income, I would gladly pay what I have and more for some kind of cure to this condition.  If you are on the fence about public insurance: get off.  It is an absolutely cruel system that is all too happy to let sick people suffer, and if it can’t be managed locally, what chance is there for a national program?  You don’t want yourself, or even others, to walk an inch in those shoes.

  If I could rub a magic lamp for the ideal insurance it would be: hold doctors accountable if they don’t or can’t treat the patient properly, provide incentives for both responsible doctors and patients, and allow for so much competition that doctors would stand outside their offices in chicken costumes trying to cluck up my business. 

  If I could rub a magic lamp for the ideal treatment for me it would be: to have a hospital admit me and not let me go until a cause and cure/treatment was found.  It would have to be out of the goodness of their heart - even if I wasn’t in pain as I type this, I wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face at that - but I would still pay whatever I could.

  A quick message for all the tea partiers and town hallers: I have never been as proud of my non-military countrymen as I am of you.   Next time you head out, be sure to cheer a little louder, fight a little harder, and wave the flag just once more for the rest of us who can’t make it.