Don't blame me! The cat caused my pre-existing condition!
At some point, we find that when gathering with friends, we talk about our ailments. You might not be there yet, but you've heard it. Maybe your parents, or grandparents. And you thought, “l’ll never be like that”. Sorry, you're wrong. We all get there.
Here I am, a bit past 50. Ok. Way past 50, but not quite to 60. And many of my friends in their 60’s and 70’s. A couple in their 80’s. We talk about what ailes us.
For me, it includes athsma. It has since I was a teen. Now I find this little fact can add $4,000+ to my health insurance premium. It's never actually cost me that much. I've never been hospitalized or even visited an ER for it. I just need that rescue inhaler with me. And the steroid inhaler during my bad season, winter.
For me it also includes rheumatoid arthritis in the knees. Again, it can add a few thousand to my premiums, but so far has just required more ibuprofen and naproxen than I can count, a few sessions of PT now and then, and a couple steroid injections once when it got real bad.
And there been surgeries on both my shoulders. Rotator cuffs can be such a pain (literally). And another surgery to put my left arm back together after an unfortunate collision with my dining room window (oops, who put that cat there?). And some rebuild work on my sinuses a few decades ago.
But, I think of myself as a fairly healthy person. I have not been admitted to a hospital since I was 5 years old and had bronchitis. Yet I have a bit of history. Do all these historical events rate as “pre-existing conditions” where I might be denied coverage, or see my rates increased? Is my insurance going to refuse to cover a sinus infection because I had polyps and scar tissue removed back in the early 90’s? Maybe.
And I chat with friends that tell about much more severe issues. A close friend survived a brain tuner. Several friends with retinal tears. Many friends are diabetic. I have a close friend who is the picture of a 60 year old athlete who has had as much shoulder work as I have. I've had two friends who had strokes in their 30s. Another friend with ALS. Another with Parkinson's. Many friends with high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. As I said, we talk about this stuff. (Please note my tact and good social conduct by leaving off all discussion of any GI issues. You're welcome).
Am I to be denied coverage for heart disease because I once was prescribed Lipitor?
How many of us will be priced out of health care? By this point in life, we've seen it all.
