Wednesday, April 30, 2008

In which I'm bitter

Dear Commonwealth Healthcare Connector,


I've been seeing your commercials for a year or so now. The one where the balding guy with the broken arm talks to me about the importance of insurance for my family? Just wanted to let your ad agency know that the casting kind of sucked because he looks just like a loser who's forty and out of work and is in his parent's kitchen, not his own. His flannel shirt doesn't help matters. I realize the whole forty and out of work/living with the folks thing is part of your target demographic but it only serves to cement just how pissed off I am that my husband is working for someone right now (50+ hours a week) and I have TWO part time jobs and we're still in the same boat as this schlub.


However, thanks to the downturn in commercial development and the law requiring all Massachusetts residents to have health insurance - no matter what the cost - I found myself in need of your services. Speaking of this law, how much did the insurance agencies have to pay to the "re-election committees" of certain politicians to get this beauty passed?


Your vague, user un-friendly website has cemented my need for insurance of some sort because my blood pressure, while trying to find if our doctor accepts the plans you offer? Through the roof. And no, the pediatrician has apparently opted out of these plans. Great.


Just so you are aware.... a link to an Excel spreadsheet that does not clearly identify the numbers being spread? Not helpful. Especially because this was the link that was supposed to break down the monthly payments. So thanks for that.


Oh, to be sure there are some easier options. For instance, instead of wading through the quagmire - I could just get sick and tired of it all and opt for the full price coverage. Or maybe the "bronze plan" that has a two thousand dollar deductable and is just slightly less than my mortgage payment. Sadly, we cannot afford to be so flippant and wading through the quagmire is a necessity.


Also, the whole 'no tax refund' thing? Kind of sucks, guys.


Sincerely,

Jenny


So, to those of you thinking that socialized medicine is a good thing? Just want to let you know that mandatory insurance...is not.

But on the upside, as this sat in drafts, my husband got called back to work at his 'regular job'. For how long we don't know but we've dodged this bullet for now.









3 comments:

blackbird said...

You may have dodged it, but we in the midst of it.
It's a horrible situation.

Anonymous said...

I was kind of excited when they talked about requiring everyone to have health insurance. In my own stupid, naive way, I assumed they would actually make affordable health insurance available to everyone. Or the regular compainies would have a sliding scale based on income. Or something. Instead, its "hey, you better get some insurance you can't afford or we'll take MORE of the money you don't have enough of. Good Luck." How is that helpful to anybody?

Glad you dodged the bullet for now.

~Em

Jennifer said...

WOW.. that sounds like a lot of freaking work to get insurance? I totally do not understand how people deal with all that over there.

I'm sorry your so frustrated.