Not really words of wisdom, but a way of viewing things.
I went to the ER because of really horrible pains in the side of my stomach. It turned out to be a kidney infection. (I also found out I only have one kidney because my kidneys are fused together!) They did several ultrasounds, blood tests, and urine tests. When I gave them my insurance card, they said it no longer worked. So it turns out I had been having my whole visit uninsured. Which is funny because I actually called the hospital before going to make sure they took my insurance.
Then several weeks later the hospital bills starting coming in. I opened one. $3,000 or so. And then at the bottom: "Bill 1 of 3."
I started crying. I can't believe I live in such a country where my choices are to spend thousands on care or die from an infection. My father came home from work and cheerily opened the door, asking me what's up. I told him I just got one of the hospital bills as he sat down next to me. I told him the price.
He laughed and said "That's it?" Now, we're a low class family. We immigrated from Kazakhstan. A savings account is non-existent. We have a lot of debt.
He shrugged off the medical bills and said all that was important was that I was healthy and he was grateful for that. The money we would figure out later.
That type of attitude struck a chord me. Life isn't about money, why do we make it so? I'm lucky to have the family I have.
And in case anyone is wondering, everything turned out okay with the hospital bills. Later on, I managed to get reinstated on my insurance and because I was under 20, my coverage started on the 1st of the month I was reinstated, so my hospital visit on the 5th or so was covered. I got really lucky.
Not really words of wisdom, but a way of viewing things.
I went to the ER because of really horrible pains in the side of my stomach. It turned out to be a kidney infection. (I also found out I only have one kidney because my kidneys are fused together!) They did several ultrasounds, blood tests, and urine tests. When I gave them my insurance card, they said it no longer worked. So it turns out I had been having my whole visit uninsured. Which is funny because I actually called the hospital before going to make sure they took my insurance.
Then several weeks later the hospital bills starting coming in. I opened one. $3,000 or so. And then at the bottom: "Bill 1 of 3."
I started crying. I can't believe I live in such a country where my choices are to spend thousands on care or die from an infection. My father came home from work and cheerily opened the door, asking me what's up. I told him I just got one of the hospital bills as he sat down next to me. I told him the price.
He laughed and said "That's it?" Now, we're a low class family. We immigrated from Kazakhstan. A savings account is non-existent. We have a lot of debt.
He shrugged off the medical bills and said all that was important was that I was healthy and he was grateful for that. The money we would figure out later.
That type of attitude struck a chord me. Life isn't about money, why do we make it so? I'm lucky to have the family I have.
And in case anyone is wondering, everything turned out okay with the hospital bills. Later on, I managed to get reinstated on my insurance and because I was under 20, my coverage started on the 1st of the month I was reinstated, so my hospital visit on the 5th or so was covered. I got really lucky.