This week I was faced with a life crisis I have experienced time and time again since I entered grade school. Waking up one morning after a night of heavy drinking I was not only hung over but I also had a sore throat, signaling to me I was catching a cold for the billionth time this month. Colds: immune sucking, mucus producing, tissue eating, unforgiving health destroying machines. They are like the in-law's who visit you unexpectedly because they were just “in the neighborhood” or that annoying person who doesn’t realize the extent of their irritation so they continue regardless. Nevertheless, I was prepared to deal with this head on. This cold would not make me its victim and would fizzle away like the vitamin c packets used to destroy it.
What I was not prepared to deal with was: Strep Throat. Not uncommon within college students, Strep is a viral infection that literally fucks your throat. That’s the best description possible that I can give you but if you’d like the actual medical definition click here. Suddenly I found swallowing anything excruciating and breathing was something I had to focus on to keep the pain away. So first I should go to the doctor right? That’s what any reasonable, non-sadistic person would do. I get dressed, call an Uber making sure to grab my insurance card and head out the door hoping for a quick fix. To my extreme surprise my insurance was not valid because of my occupancy in California and I was faced with the choice to pay out of pocket to have a doctor see me. This to me felt like no choice. To ask one whether they would like to choose their health over an expensive fee seems to be a no-brainer but why should it have to be that hard for a student in the first place? Before seeing that doctor I had called just about every clinic in the area all who could not see me for another week with an appointment when I desperately needed to be seen that day.
Finding a physician should not be the same as trying to find your mom inside a grocery store and it should not be nearly as expensive as paying for all those groceries if you can’t find her. Doctors know that there isn’t much people won’t do for good health so slamming on high co pay fees is routine but for many the fee isn’t always payable. Strep throat was just an infection but what would've happened if I had broken a bone or needed major surgery? The fees would be so enormous they’d swallow me whole, leaving behind only my poor, useless insurance card. Putting a price on health isn’t easy but neither is paying that price so always make sure that your insurance can cover the costs.
