Horror Stories of Obamacare: Near Boise, Idaho — Part Two

About me…I just left a horrible job, terrible hours, long commute, to a job I had been trying to get for 5 years, very close to home. My insurance with my previous horrible employer was set to expire at the end of March…okay, my current employer had insurance that would be enacted the first of March…everything good. I'm 53, good health, don't smoke, exercise, try to eat healthy, do yoga, yada, yada, yada. My husband is 41, and I'm trying not to die before he does…lol…I could handle him dying better than the reverse, you should have seen the poor soul when our cats died (of old age, they were 18 years old).

Then I got the letter from the new insurance company…Subject:Notice of pre-existing waiting period. I thought, WTH? I thought that pre-exsting conditions were supposed to covered under the monstrosity they called "ObamaCare". Well, I had 3 pre-existing conditions, which one wasn't covered? The one would go away when menopause finally kicked in, wasn't worried about that, and the other, arthritis, I refused medication for, I can ease that with a water fast of a few days. But the chronic insomnia was something I've had all my life (something about too much dopamine or something like that running around in my head). Ambien, even generic, is really expensive…the mild tranks, not so much, I could pay for them. So I call the insurance company. The letter said that any pre-existing conditions would not be covered unless I didn't see a doctor about them until November of this year. Again, WTH? The lady on the phone told me that pre-existing condtions, even under the auspices of the ACA, would not be covered because my new policy was enacted before March 31, 2014, and was therefore "grandfathered in", and not subject to the pre-existing conditions bit of the ACA. I was polite, and didn't yell at her, but I was not a happy camper.

So, I will run out of meds before November. Namely, next month. If I call my doctor for a refill, they will not be covered. If I see my doctor, like I do every 6 months for this, I will not be covered. So, I pay out of pocket…I'm thankful that I didn't have something really life threatening and chronic. But there are people that do. And I am sorry for them, because if they have changed jobs (and insurance) recently, they are screwed.

So, the effing big deal they made out of "but you'll have coverage for pre-existing conditions!" was not entirely true. And mine is so minor compared to others, but still. Don't lie to me…I hate a liar. I've always maintained that socialized medicine is great for those that want a doctor to take care of every sniffle, but what about those of us that try to take care of ourselves? I should take care of Mr./Ms. Couch Potato? Why??? I don't see a doctor unless I have to for a work excuse (last 5 years, always a bad flu), or if he won't refill my meds unless I see him for a check-up. And I adore my doctor (I usually despise them). And he's told me he's going to quit medicine because he doesn't want the government to tell him what to do. And he's the best M.D. I've ever had. I'm screwed here.

Anyway, would the insurance company prefer to cover cirrhosis of the liver, and possibly a liver transplant from all the alcohol I'm going to have to consume to maybe get a few hours of sleep at night, and feel like crap in the morning? And I drive big trucks…me feeling like crap every day will not be a good thing for the general public. Or will they cover my twice (maybe 3 times) a year doctor's visits, and my prescriptions? Except for the sleep meds, I usually throw them away anyhow. I pay more into my insurance than they have to spend on me a year. It's not like it's costing them that much (if anything).