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| $27 dollar day |
This junkie had to get a larger pill organizer this year, now my prescriptions outnumber my natural supplements.
Between my prescription eye drops and pills, I had been donating $27 a day out of pocket to big pharma. Now that they have me on 2 more heart drugs, I'm up to $32 a day. And this is after insurance pays a portion.
When you live over 1000 miles from family, the recurring questions are: "are you remembering to eat well, are you sleeping enough?" With my Dad, it's been the same song for years: "how's your retirement portfolio?" And there's no arguing with him when I tell him, that yet again, my medical bills have outstripped my ability to add to my IRAs.
The American Dream I bought into when I immigrated here from Canada almost 30 years ago is unattainable to most of us. It's like some glossy Hollywood production trying to get you to sell your soul. Sure, I could've gone to work for Auburn University or a manufacturing plant 20 years ago and guaranteed myself a retirement pension and paid premium healthcare. Our local sheriff even courted me to join the police force just for the health care 8 years ago. But, working a lifetime in a job you don't like is not my bag. I wanted freedom and the ability to be able to shout from the mountaintops "I love my job".
It's a very expensive trade-off in America. And I'm in a much better position than most self paying insurees. I have a great job, I have good doctors, I don't have to go scrape the bottom of the well with Medicaid-approved doctors, if I want a second opinion, I can drive my happy butt to Emory and pay out of pocket when my insurance pitches a fit that I went out of state for care. But I can't do both: stay healthy and plan for retirement. Sorry, Dad.
$6300 a year for insurance.
Average past two years deductible paid $8500.
Current drug habit $11680.
In 2019, I'll have supplemental insurance that should soften $4000 a year of the pain, But...
Calculate that for a minute, health care in America is broken.
As the country song goes: "high maintenance woman don't want no maintenance man" ----I'd settle for a pharmacist, thank you very much.
