It is done

After three application attempts, numerous phone calls, several on-line chat sessions and tripping my way through a muddy website that leaves one asking more questions than is necessary, I finally – finally! – have a health insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act.

Did I save any money? One dollar per month. I could have saved more, but I chose not to use all of the subsidy I qualified for because the way it was calculated was a bit murky. I reported our income, but can't report what we might withdraw from our retirement account. To be on the safe side, I stuck with a premium I know we can handle (the current amount).

Did I get better coverage than what my current policy offers? VASTLY better. A slightly lower deductible, much lower out-of-pocket costs, no limit on benefits and reasonable co-pays.

My old policy was limited to $1,000,000 in benefits and I still had to pay full price for office visits and diagnostic tests.

Of course, since I'm one of the healthiest women I know, I'm still going to

1. be lining the coffers of the already profitable insurance company,
2. not meet the annual deductible amount, and
3. pay cash for the diuretic I take 2 to 3 times a week, since it costs less than the Rx benefit.

Oh, well. I've long said health insurance is really wealth insurance: A way to insure you don't lose everything due to an accident or illness.

There's absolutely no reason anyone should have to go through this. We need single-payer, Medicare-for-all. PERIOD. Maybe someday …

If you don't know what I'm talking about OR why we need it, take the few minutes necessary to watch this video. And then share it, won't you?