The big lesson I have learned this year is that cheap healthcare is expensive. I subscribe to Kaiser's cheapest plan which has a whopping $5,000 deductible. Once that is met, everything is covered. This means that every time I visit the doctor or fill a prescription I'm paying full price and let me tell you, that price is not cheap. Plus, emergency services aren't covered, as I learned last month when I ended up needing an emergency tetanus shot.
Basically, I'm paying $169 per month for nothing. Or, actually, paying that much for the assurance that when I hit $5,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, in this calendar year, I'll be covered 100%. Bad equation. The impact of this plan has been less trips to the doctor when I've needed to go, such as my two bike falls and a yoga shoulder injury. Plus, the heart-stopping shock of paying for meds at full price.
Thankfully, I will change plans at the start of the new year. Just three more months to stay as healthy as possible.
