Navigating the health insurance marketplace for the first time.
Boston, December 2009… a dark, cold night, religious holidays are fast approaching, just left a meeting and I am driving along Western Avenue, Brighton. My sister, a nurse and mother of 4 called in tears, she tells me her 14-year-old had a headache, they took him to the emergency room at Rochester Medical Center and he was diagnosed with cancer.
I try to be the voice of strength and comfort, though in tears I drive through a red light at the intersection of Western Avenue and North Beacon. Police lights appear in the rear-view mirror. I pull over and cannot stop crying. It is a simple traffic stop, but it is not. I am confused. The Officer is confused given my tears. I am consumed - my young nephew has a brain tumor and ask the officer “what are we going to do.” He cannot help, I feel helpless.
I get home and work to find help in Boston’s Medical Mecca. At 5 AM, the brilliant researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital replies to my email, “on it.” At 5:30 AM she has consults. It is a scene from Chicago Med with Dr. Halstead and Dr. Charles, the go-getter and the experienced, the bold and the poised.
Fortunately, our nephew is now 26; yet he is off his parent’s health plan. His monthly maintenance “shot”is billed at a “negotiated” rate (REALLY???) of $9,000 per month, plus the cost of annual MRIs and blood work.
A young adult with a pre-existing medical condition, a bright, ambitious young man is handcuffed to the quality of the health plan his employer provides.
This is why I care. I support empowering and educating young adults, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions, to become savvy consumers of health insurance.
