More Ranting About My Station In Life

So, my son got sick last Sunday. I took him to Urgent Care. $50.00. We spent about an hour and a half there, spent five minutes with the doctor, and got sent home with prescriptions. $60.00 worth of medicine that didn't work. WOW! Really? So, we went back on Wednesday night, and spent another $50.00 to see the same doctor. Only this time, they did a CBC and a chest x-ray. His white count was normal, and there was feathering on his chest x-ray. SO, another antibiotic, and a pain killer so he could sleep. $20.00 more dollars to the pharmacy. We're at $180.00 in 4 days. If you've read any of my prior posts, you'll know that I spend a fortune on medical insurance every month. That $180.00 doesn't include the $15.00 I spent on a humidifier, or the $8.00 for the medicated liquid that you put into the path of the steam. Add it all up, $203.00 in 4 days.

Now, since I work as a temp in an office, and am not directly employed by the company I work at, I don't get paid holidays. I also don't get paid sick time, or paid vacation, or personal days. I didn't get paid for the Thanksgiving holiday that we were closed. My paycheck, that I pick up every Friday, was $198.03. Christmas is in a couple of weeks, and it's been a few years since we were this busted this close to the holiday. I thought that having insurance was supposed to ease the cost of health care?
The medicine that my son was given for his cough was a tier 3 medication. Meaning that there is no generic equivalent of that medication. If I had known that, I never would have accepted the prescription from the doctor. I swear that one day, somebody important will get screwed on a medical situation, and that will be the only time that anything will really change. (I'm fairly confident that the only reason HIPPA exists, is because somebody found out about some Senator or Congressman having to take an STD or ED med.) Honestly, I'm surprised that Ted Kennedy hasn't spearheaded the entire thing yet. But, he must have better insurance than I have. He also has more money than God, so he doesn't have to worry about the cost of things.

I want to know why. Why was that medication so expensive? Why is it so much more to go to urgent care? Why did it take a second visit for the doctor to do a diagnostic test? Why is it so expensive for a healthy family to have employer sponsored health coverage? Will Obama and Biden really be able to change the health care system? Will Dashle really listen to people about what is wrong with the health care in this country? Will the drug companies buy their way out of consequences again? Will the insurance lobby get their way? Mandatory insurance for everyone, but no caps on premiums?