I am grateful to have a job that provides me some sort of health insurance. My company requires that I foot the entire bill of anything until I reach a deductible of $1500. Luckily, I am single. Those with families have to foot a much larger deductible. Small wonder people do not want to head off to the doctor's office unless they are almost on their death bed. The costs are so steep.
I sit here tonight, perplexed. I have to take 4 insulin shots a day - one before each meal and one at bedtime. So, I use a new needle for each injection. Makes sense, right? I am trying to prevent infection and such. The last time I was at the endocrinologist's office, I asked to get additional needles. The pharmacy has not refilled that order and I am running out of needles from my current prescription. My current prescription from my GP won't allow me to refill because, according to the insurance company and pharmacy, I am not due a refill until sometime in February.
So, what is my choice? The needles should not cost that much, so in the morning, I will call the pharmacy to see about purchasing the needles outright. I realize that my situation right now is a bit tentative for the endocrinologist as she is trying to determine the "right" amount of medication for me. However, the insurance company constantly throws a monkey wrench because they want a 90-day supply prescription. So, many times, I end up having to pay full amounts that won't get applied to my deductible.
As I said, I am grateful to have my job and the ability to pay for my medications. Still, the whole process is very frustrating. I know I need patience and remind myself that once everything is in a "balance", then this will be okay. In the meantime, I can certainly understand why this whole process causes people not to want to see the doctor. It gets pretty expensive.
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