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I’ve been putting together the information I need to prepare our taxes for 2020.  No, I don’t do my own taxes because if I did I would probably be spending time in prison for tax evasion (I’d never get them done) or an insane asylum because preparing taxes has a tendency to send me over the edge.

I pull all the information and then quite happily and gratefully send it all to our tax accountant.  Much better all the way around – he gets a nice check and I keep my sanity.

Each year, though as I pull my medical records and receipts you can hear a loud sigh through the town of Oviedo.  It’s me feeling a little dismayed and nauseated at the amount Thad and I pay for health insurance.  There is his Medicare, my Medicare; his secondary, my secondary; his prescription coverage and my prescription coverage.  Not to mention the monthly Long Term Care Insurance we have been paying since we were in our 30’s and I am not sure it will be enough by the time we need it.  And then there is what we still pay in out of pocket expenses.  It truly is mind blowing!

Every year I think “Maybe we can get a less expensive coverage”.  I mean, last year was fairly uneventful except for Thad’s springing leaks from his saphenous leg vein because his valves were shot.  And then there is his cataract which has ramped up taking over his vision in his right eye.  Both of these issues have or are being resolved this year.  And other than my atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) which added another medicine to my regimen and tripping over a board which resulted in a hairline fracture of the acetabulum (the socket area inside the pelvis – we’re good.  Let’s face it, Thad and I are not getting any younger and only God knows what’s in store for us in 2021.

It all reminds me of when I took my elderly dog to the vet many years ago (I was in my 30’s and had no clue about aging).  He explained to me that every issue my dog had was like placing a row of brick to a wall in which my dog had to jump over.  One issue – she jumped over it with ease.  Even two rows of brick didn’t cause her too much grief.  But as each issue accrued it became harder and harder for my dog to jump over the brick wall.  Fast forward 35 years and I am suddenly feeling a lot like my beloved dog.

And that’s what makes me sigh, and get a little nauseous as I go for the best Health Insurance we can afford.  Look, I know eventually I am going to use it – some years more than others.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying I shouldn’t pay for healthcare.  I am just wondering if the cost is relative to the procedure, service or medicines in question. Especially when physicians, hospitals, pharmacies have to inflate the prices because insurance companies will only pay so much unless they inflate the costs so they will be reviewed and then covered at a higher rate the following year.  It all seems a bit muddy to me.

But if you are like me, the reality is, like it or not my wall of health issues is getting higher and I am not a gambler willing to take a chance on learning how to pole vault over my wall.  And I want to make sure I can get and pay for the care I need when I need it.  I really don’t like the thought of losing my house to pay for my health insurance.

Why am I rambling on so long?  Well, I just got through prepping my medical expenses from 2020 and while I was fairly healthy with mostly routine health checkups; I still needed the coverage that my health insurance provided and it was quite a figure.  Yet, I was blessed to be able to pay for it.  And that’s the message I am sending my readers today.  You may not need good health insurance every day but when you do, you thank God for it.  So take some time and reassess your health and your health care insurance, get the best you need  and give thanks that you have it.

Although looking at these bills and the cost of healthcare today, Thad and I might be living with the kids soon.  Just saying.

Thank you for reading my post.  If you have found it encouraging please consider liking, commenting or sharing it.  Feel free to even re-blog – may these words take flight!

I have additional insights I’d love to share with you found in the pages of my debut book: Surviving Medical Mayhem – Laughing When It Hurts.  To order a copy or learn more go to my website at www.lorettaschoen.com

Blessings for Health & Wellness.