I have to fuss...

I finally broke down and went to the doctor's office after work yesterday to try to get rid of this cold I've had for going on a month now. I was in and out of there in an hour, complete with my valuable three minutes with the actual doctor, and you know how much I had to pay for a simple, stupid office visit? Eighty dollars! That was honestly just for the basic visit... no tests, no shots, nothing else. RIDICULOUS. Apparently with my insurance you have to meet a $500 deductible for medical services regardless. Even for a trip to the regular after-hours clinic!

Here I was thinking that working for the state had such great insurance benefits, but really it's only "great" if you have some major catastrophic issue or surgery or have a baby! It doesn't help the normal people who just need to see a doctor to get some antibiotics and some cough medicine to get rid of this crud!!!!! SO frustrating.... Oh, and I forgot that since I AM a state employee, I did get a discount. It knocked off a whopping $17 off my total charges. Amazing.

I know I should be grateful that my job provides insurance coverage in this day and age, but I can't help but get frustrated and totally understand why people just don't go to the doctor. So my responsible decision to actually see a doctor and get some non-over-the-counter medicine to get rid of a basic sinus infection turned into a $160 investment. Who can afford that?!

I'm off my soap box now, but I just had to share my frustrations. Health care is just too expensive. Period. I'll try my best to stick to Nyquil and Sudafed next time. Geez...