Solo Mother

Our first minicrisis. Life without health insurance.

by christina on November 28th, 2006

When my kid started to complain about his plumbing, the future grandmother in me didn’t waste much time. I’m not one to run to the doctor every time he sniffles, but five days of uncomfortable pee and I’d had enough. But how does a single mother make the time to get to the doctor?

It was an expensive trip. We don’t have health insurance, yet. I haven’t found a full-time job, and I’m working on an insane number of projects trying to keep money in the bank and food on the table. I’ve almost accrued enough hours at the temp agency to sign up for their insurance package, and I can’t wait for that magic number to roll over. It’s frightning to live without a net.

DC doesn’t have much in the way of urgent care. This morning, I packed up my son, his lunch, and my work, then headed out the door. One bus, two trains and a walk later, we were in Arlington, VA at their urgent care facility, with two moaning, groaning folks in line before us. Nico was happy as a clam, playing with the toys, talking about wanting to be a knight when he grows up. I was silently watching the work meter tick in my brain: I don’t want to think of how much money I’ve lost today by not going to work.

It’s worth it though. Urinary tract infections in boys is much more rare, and serious, than it is for girls. The doc thinks everything’s ok, and we’ve got prescriptions to fill out, without the cushion of a copayment.

If you can’t afford monthly insurance premiums, I’d recommend taking out health insurance with a very low monthly payment, one that will cover you in the event of a catastrophe — think major hospitalizations — and leave you to pay for regular doctor visits out of pocket. There is savings to be had that way, and many doctors will give you a discount. Think about it, they don’t have to do any paperwork, filing, or wrangling with insurance companies. That should be worth a little bit off the top.

I’m several hundred dollars poorer, but so happy my little guy has a little booboo, not a big one. And the lab technician let him watch what she did with all that pee in a cup! (An adventure that really requires its own post, but I’ll save something for my son’s prom night).

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POSTED IN: budget, finances, health, money