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I get so upset thinking about the fact that in this day and age, the country that claims to lead the world does not offer health care to all its inhabitants. I am firmly in the "public option" camp. And I know how blessed I am to have health insurance thru Mr. Brillig's workplace.
I'm glad we had coverage this weekend. We had to take Kid Brillig to the ER Sunday (for those who wanna cut to the comments and mojo, she's OK... :-)). She's had a slightly irritated/infected ear piercing (done in February, so not new) for a couple of days or maybe a week, and was doing the whole put triple antibiotic on it and twist the earring around to get it covered thing. No biggie, I've had that happen a zillion times in the 30 years I've had pierced ears. Saturday she went to a sleepover so that Mr. Brillig and I could enjoy dinner out on our anniversary. We picked her up on Sunday morning and she said her ear hurt. So we looked...
And holy hell, was her earlobe swollen! Red, warm to the touch, hard, and scariest of all, starting to swell on the neck behind it. We took her home and Mr. Brillig managed to get the earring out and calm her down while I called the ask-a-nurse number for our insurance carrier (BC/BS of MA, fwiw). After some basic questions, she suggested that in fact we did NOT want to wait until tomorrow to see our doctor, and should consider an ER visit.
Called her pediatrician next, who doesn't have weekend hours but whose answering machine said to call if your issue was anywhere between I need a doctor NOW (call 911) and I need to make an appointment/check my bill/something else not urgent (call us Monday at 8:30am). After explaining the situation, he said that while we didn't need to cart her off Right This Very Minute (she had a long-schedule playdate with a friend) it had to be within 6 hours.
We decided canceling would lead to an even MORE hysterical kid, so we let her go for 3 hours while we fretted and considered what we'd be doing if we didn't have health insurance. Probably hydrogen peroxide and watching for fever, as an ER visit could be costly. Oh sure, if it was systemic infection she could die, but if it wasn't hundreds of dollars or more could mean losing the house...
The choices that should never have to be made. We glanced at our insurance cards, and headed for the ER. Put our names on the sign-in sheet, no one ahead of us, and waited 'only' 20 minutes before KB's name was called. "Here it comes, they ask about insurance now..." I was stunned when the first thing they wanted to do was ask what was wrong and get some vitals. Then we went back to our seats, and waited another half hour before the Insurance Questioner looked up our records and said cautiously "Has your insurance information changed?" When I said only that our insurance was now via Mr. Brillig's company, she smiled and seemed relaxed as we entered the new info. I wonder what her attitude would have been if we'd said quietly "We don't have insurance."
Less than a half hour later we were in a room, where a nice nurse practitioner told us that yes, we did right to bring her in, it looked nasty and could have spread by morning. I held KB's hand while the NP squeezed her earlobe enough to get a sample to culture (ouch ouch ouch... but I'll leave it to the comments for Mr. Brillig to share what happened when it finally did drain) and we got a prescription for Keflex and a first dose - they didn't want to wait even for us to get to the drugstore.
Two days later Kid Brillig is on the mend, her ear is not quite so disgusting, and we've switched pharmacies since our formerly-all-night one now closes at 8pm on Sundays. I have a followup scheduled with her pediatrician for next Monday, where I'll tack on a discussion of our incoming adopted son at no extra $20 copay :-). And I know that her ER visit will cost us a $75 copay. I'd love to know what the insurance company will be charged for that visit, what it actually cost (I am not naive enough to think that what gets charged is what it cost), and whether or not the treatment would have been the same if I'd not had a laminated BC/BS card.
Got ER stories to share?
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Got Top Comments to share? The mailbox was almost full of nominations tonight, but never think there isn't room for that comment
you saw - always send them in to us!
From turnover:
This brief comment by Stroszek in response to Inland's having cited Krugman's support for Bernanke's reappointment made me smile. Perhaps because I, too - for the time being anyway - feel the same "solidarity".
From llbear:
My series on the Dallas Vet Leo has shown us just how great people on this site can be. BlueOcean says it better than I do.
From CityLightsLover:
The Admin Assistant in my office had to come in & see what was so darn funny! Bless LarsThorwald for this little ditty in the "Obama Shouldn't Pick on Insurance Companies" fp story.
(vcthree also nominated this comment, so you know it must be good :-))
From MinistryOfTruth:
In my diary today on Morning Joe's defense of Bush/Torture and the need for Full Accountability that goes all the way to the top Kestrel9000 turns an innocent slip of the tongue/type into a hilarious suggestion on what should be done to the Bush/Cheney was criminals. An honest mistake, and that makes it REALLY FUNNY!
This comment by truestream in jerryE's Dem Rep says he will no longer vote for Pelosi for Speaker about Alabama Blue Dog Parker Griffith asks what is in the water in the south and has wisdom in oodles. I give it a Seinfeldian "It is Gold, jerryE! Gold!"
From Dump Terry McAuliffe:
In Jed Lewison's front-page diary GOP trying to scare seniors to death about reform, Yojimbo reverse-engineers Michael Steele and tells us what he's made of.
From pensivelady:
I really liked this one by ryan81 ... (I always like a good pun)...
From sardonyx:
In this morning's Cheers and Jeers by the endlessly inventive Bill in Portland Maine, griffin459 has a little reminder for the freepers and birthers out there.
In former front-pager billmon's excellent diary The [Redacted], the Whole [Redacted] and Nothing But the [Redacted],, Dallasdoc starts the ball rolling (flying monkeys?), followed by Marie setting up Gooserock, and there's also a helpful reminder from Jacques. But really, this is a diary comment section that makes you laugh, cry, and want to kick some ass...rather like the diary itself, come to think of it.
From Julie Gulden:
This comment by realityworld in blackwaterdog's
McCain defends Obama (sort of) puts a positive spin on McCain's townhalls
From ScottyUrb:
Hesiod sings a catchy tune. Merry Early Christmas!
From dolooper:
catfood gets directly to the heart of the distinction between politics and justice in
buhdydharma's truth commission diary.
From brillig, your humble diarist:
Mogolori updates Carlin for the modern age in Billmon's (REDACTED).
virgomusic brings us the Top Mojo!! Be sure to share some of yours with her, for wielding those mojo-to-excel spreadsheets and search strings with such precision!
Top 30 Comments excluding tip jars, first comments and stuff:
1) Most appalling by DrToast — 244
2) Even more appalling: by NogodsnomastersMary — 156
3) Beck is scared shitless of all people by pattisigh — 155
4) Kurt Bloodsworth was saved by MD patriot — 151
5) One more thing by DrToast — 126
6) How about them apples? by llbear — 110
7) This is serious stuff and as you know . . . by nyceve — 108
8) Make sure you send this over to slink & nyceve by Actbriniel — 105
9) What these yahoos forget by NogodsnomastersMary — 97
10) Yes, he's the loon who believed that... by AuroraDawn — 88
11) I will. She will be thrilled. by llbear — 86
12) that was stupid, you didn't need to HR her for it by Muzikal203 — 84
13) He must be one of them by glassbeadgame — 84
14) Well I would help my neighbor by Kitty — 84
15) Not only are we broke, but honestly, how am I by the dogs sockpuppet — 82
16) Yeah, and how much did an MRI, or cancer care by briefer — 82
17) the American health care system... by gooners — 81
18) Ready to rock & roll with clothes for Mrs. Leo by SallyCat — 80
19) Fuck. Rick. Perry. by Jyrinx — 79
20) Been against the death penalty by Lisa Lockwood — 78
21) Amongst the many stains by Wayward Wind — 76
22) Grandma Marie's Birthday Party Starts Here by llbear — 74
23) It's diaries like these that keep me hanging on by SallyCat — 74
24) He's just following the playbook by blueintheface — 74
25) Yes. by llbear — 74
26) And your highlight doesn't make the news but the by ORDem — 74
27) I see that Glenn Beck is not familiar... by LordMike — 71
28) Kinda puts all the bickering here today by GOTV — 71
29) No immunity! by heart of a quince — 69
30) so you're telling me that you're nuts? by in2mixin — 68
Top 30 Comments with no exclusions, aka the Tip Jar list :-):
1) Tip Jar by flitedocnm — 653
2) Tips for no longer tinkering... by JR — 649
3) Tip Jar by Deoliver47 — 604
4) Tip Jar by caseyaaronsmith — 582
5) Tip Jar by slinkerwink — 359
6) today is thde 2nd day for our students by teacherken — 325
7) Tips for making the GOP defend Bush and Torture by MinistryOfTruth — 291
8) Tip Jar by llbear — 280
9) Tip Jar by nyceve — 271
10) Most appalling by DrToast — 244
11) this is clearly by clammyc — 231
12) Tip Jar by griffin459 — 231
13) Good to see the Lady back in business! by buhdydharma — 227
14) Tip Jar by Hopeful Skeptic — 218
15) Tip Jar by billmon — 170
16) Again, this isn't as much as I wanted it to be... by FarWestGirl — 159
17) Even more appalling: by NogodsnomastersMary — 156
18) Beck is scared shitless of all people by pattisigh — 155
19) Kurt Bloodsworth was saved by MD patriot — 151
20) Tip Jar by wade norris — 134
21) One more thing by DrToast — 126
22) How about them apples? by llbear — 110
23) This is serious stuff and as you know . . . by nyceve — 108
24) Damn straight. nt by sweeper — 106
25) Make sure you send this over to slink & nyceve by Actbriniel — 105
26) What these yahoos forget by NogodsnomastersMary — 97
27) Freepers, Birthers, Morons of all stripes: by griffin459 — 89
28) Yes, he's the loon who believed that... by AuroraDawn — 88
29) I will. She will be thrilled. by llbear — 86
30) that was stupid, you didn't need to HR her for it by Muzikal203 — 84
31) He must be one of them by glassbeadgame — 84
32) Well I would help my neighbor by Kitty — 84