Healthcare Lol

by Kyle

Something I realized today:

My ankle has been hurting a lot over the past few days. I’ve taken ibuprofen, tried to not walk as much, and generally just been resting it, right?

Today it’s gotten a little bit worse, nothing major, just really really sore. And I just kinda figured out something:

I’m sitting here with who knows what wrong with me, searching the internet for my symptoms haphazardly, rather than going to a trained professional that would know what is wrong and be able to help me, if there is in fact something wrong.

Why?

I’m worried that if I did in fact go to a doctor/physical specialist, that either I would waste their time and nothing be wrong, or find out what is wrong, and have to pay a crazy fee for medicine, and the actual care, etc, etc.

And because of fees and other high costs, I would rather wait it out than have a doctor take a look at it. Simply because it does have the possibility of getting better, and not having to shell out $40, $80 for a one time checkup, when nothing might not even be wrong. Or being charged an even a crazier amount of money for a one time check up if I happen to stumble into the wrong physicians office, or even the same physician I've gone to before because they’re out of coverage by my health insurance. [This actually happened earlier this year, where a doctor I had gone to for a yearly checkup suddenly wasn’t covered under my insurance four months later.]

I try to stay away from negative posts, and I know this doesn’t seem to accomplish much to complain, but I couldn’t help but notice the issues in the incredibly screwed up American Healthcare system. Where some, and probably a lot of people, would find going to the doctor a waste of time and money. Where you have to best your luck if you don't want to go to the ER but feel really sick and have to find the right urgent care center that's 10 miles away, just so you don't end up with a hospital bill that is ran through a random number generator.

But by all means, thank goodness I'm insured. And thank goodness a lot of people are insured, despite the fact that it may do jack diddly when it comes to actually helping them be able to pay rent and live a healthy life.

Now I’m going to go back to icing my leg for reasons unknown and taking ibuprofen.