I Should Have Known

Silly me. I thought I could leave the movie theatre yesterday after seeing "Sicko" in a good mood. Not so, my friends. Very much not so.

As I waited for the movie to start, I noticed that the wheelchair aisle filled up rather quickly. No surprise, really. Everyone there was clearly there for emotional reasons. Even me.

I have had individual health insurance from Blue Cross of California for over a year now. Typically, I go to the doctor once a year for a check-up and no more. Since I am allergic to most medication, I tend to take vitamins and herbal products. Luckily, I am blessed with good health and a strong immune system. A couple of months ago, I decided to use my insurance for the first time due to a pain in my neck. I saw my doc twice and a specialist twice and have felt well enough not to need an MRI or surgery since receiving free PT from my work.

On my birthday, I received a notice that a package had arrived for me in the mail. "Presents!" I thought, "Yeah!"

Enter BX of California to piss on my parade: It was a packet explaining that they were going to begin investigating me for insurance fraud. Apparently, anyone with an ache or pain who receives any medical treatment is run through the ringer and called a liar.

My feelings were hurt. And they ruined my birthday.

It has been a month and they have every piece of medical history from me for the past five years. They will be unimpressed, but will probably find a way to screw me somehow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to keep my insurance, but will live in fear that if I ever get seriously ill/injured that they will find a way to get out of paying the bill.

There are far worse insurance horror stories out there. Some of my family members have endured years of debt due to the power insurance companies have over our health.

To the three of you who read my blog: Sorry about the darkness of this post, but I had a lot to get off my chest.