free condoms

I rode up the elevator to the 3rd floor today to get my thyroid blood tests. It wasn't so much that the walk to the clinic wiped me out, which it did. It was more that I was afraid of the dizziness and metal/concrete stairwells. I suppose if I'm going to fall and crack my head open one of the best places to do it is in a health clinic, but it's not on my list of things to do today. Getting over this damn flu is.

I've never taken the elevator there before. A big sign at some office said, "Free Condoms" and then I noticed a candy bowl full of them.

[I hate condoms. I like them for other people, but not for me. But, the doctor said I'm not allowed to get pregnant with my thyroid like this, so I guess we're back on condoms.]

So I grabbed one of each kind, and I'll be back.

It's all part of my plan to get my money's worth. Also in the elevator was a woman who needed directions to the women's health clinic. She was probably about my age and was bitter that the university wouldn't allow her to decline health insurance. No, she didn't have any other insurance. I gotta wonder what she's thinking, and I'm glad that universities force insurance on people.

But I chatted up the lab tech and she said that the health insurance doesn't cover STD tests unless there are obvious symptoms. That is the stupidest thing I've heard. Most STDs don't show symptoms, especially in women, and the only way to avoid some possible serious damage is early treatment. Instead of encouraging that responsibility, it's punished with steep price tags. Even with my HPV, it would have cost a lot of money to get tested for it - even though less than a year ago I tested positive for one that is likely to end in cervical cancer, the insurance wouldn't cover it. Crazy. And in general, I'm less than thrilled with the women's health because of other things they didn't test for - in part because I'm 20 years older than their typical patient.

But overall, the health care I've received so far has probably saved me what I paid in premiums plus what that woman on the elevator paid (my deductible for the $200 bone density test was only $20 - I heart insurance). Plus I have the benefit of knowing that I'm covered in case of emergency.

Though, that's not always enough. Kim's daughter got a very bad infection in high school and was hospitalized for about a month because of it, and Kim had to pay $25,000 - the insurance covered almost $300,000, but still that's a lot for her to pay out of pocket.

That's a lot of condoms. I better go back every day to fill my pockets.