[Magdalen] health care...

[Jo Craddock]

I can't imagine it would be less than what insurance companies decide on 
their own what they will and won't cover.

I'm an employee because of health insurance. As self-employed persons, 
Rodger and I could not find a plan that would cover us, or the children 
and me and him. At any amount of money. The children and I were on what 
is now a high-deductible, but before ACA, called a catastrophic plan 
with a deductible that amounted to a couple of our credit card limits 
that we set aside just for that potentiality. My 2008 supposedly-covered 
annual exam (under that "preventive medicine" clause) became uncovered 
when I mentioned I thought I was having peri-menopausal symptoms. No 
complaints. No request for tests. Just shared the info with the 
physician, asking if the symptoms I was experiencing were indeed 
indicative of that, so the diagnosis and treatment codes changed.

There is one hypertension medication that works well and without adverse 
side effects for Rodger. It, of course, wasn't covered at all under our 
individual plans, and hasn't been "on the formulary" on what is a pretty 
decent group plan through the church until this year so also uncovered, 
at nearly $400 per month. The savings made purchasing it on various 
trips to Europe easily covered the air fare, and more. The pharmacists 
handed the prescription back, so we could purchase it there, and there, 
and there and there and there!

I, for one, without strong family history of breast cancer but strange 
breast tissue, am glad to see some tightening of recommendations, and 
liberality in release of findings (in Louisiana, medical records belong 
to the doctor/clinic!). I can easily count in big bills (not all the 
little separate lab charges) over $25K out of pocket in the last eight 
years due to what were described as "worrisome" mammograms to find out 
I'm strange, but healthy. I realize that would be of absolutely no 
concern if there had been disease found in time to be eradicated, but I 
greatly sympathize with the emotional, physical, and financial stress 
caused by false positives.

Peace,
Jo

On 10/20/2015 12:03 PM, Lynn Ronkainen wrote:
> For me this has translated into what my insurance company will allow 
> based on US Government *guidelines*... and I am beginning to become a 
> bit cynical about how much more the government is going to 'discover'  
> that will affect insurance coverage.