If it hasn’t been evident from my plethora of musings, I’m not the kind of person who wastes a lot of energy (any energy, actually) worrying about what fate tomorrow holds for me. A quick study of my personal history would support this philosophy, as I have been handed my share of shit to deal with that could not have been predicted or avoided. Not a complaint (can't change or undo them) - so why bother?
But I will acknowledge within these "pages” that there is one niggling issue that occasionally weighs heavy on my mind. I have vigilantly adhered to a self-imposed ban on political commentary, and I don’t plan to change that now - so feel free to read on without fear of partisanship pitter-patter or a discord of discomforting diatribes.
As the subhead foreshadows, I do wonder what the future could hold for me and my healthcare benefits. Having a pre-existing condition can be a HUGE financial burden on an insurance company. I hold no grudges against them, nor do I suspect they reciprocate. But the fact is that managing my Multiple myeloma ain’t cheap (I haven't done the math up to now, but with all that has been done for me, I would be willing to wager that “MM” follows the dollar amount when I add it up - and that “MM” doesn't stand for Multiple Myeloma; if you get my drift). Truth be told, I wouldn’t want to have to cover me.
And yet here I am - grateful but feeling deserving nonetheless. We paid our premiums all those years and though it clearly wasn’t my plan - I am entitled to my coverage. That said, this legislated level of protection for those few of us that really need it is as fragile as I am vulnerable. And as a minority in the cadre of the insured, whose bills represent a disproportionate financial obligation, I can’t help but feel at times like I have a target on my back. What insurance company wouldn’t want to get out from under paying for the treatment of my pre-existing condition - one that potentially will never end until I do.
Worrying about it now won’t change what healthcare coverage fate awaits me, and I clearly can’t “out lobby” the insurance industry, so I guess I’ll just hope for the best (ie: continuation of the current laws) and prepare for a mega-bake sale in case I need to raise some extra cash. I'm counting on all of your love of brownies.
