Take my money... please!

I know that when Obama swears next week, the health care system won't magically get fixed and we won't immediately be saved from having to pay thousands of dollars for routine doctor visits (think about how much you pay per year, and how many times you see your doctor. The math works.), but I still wish it were so. Wishing only goes just so far.

When my last employment ended, I got the option (as always) of signing up for Cobra and continuing what had been awesome coverage. I didn't look at the paperwork at first, just figuring the cost alone would give me a heart attack, and I didn't give it a second thought until last week, when I received a mysterious bill for $38.81 in the mail. I actually had to Google the company to figure out it was my Cobra provider, but I was still baffled. What the hell could possibly cost $38.81? And why did the bill only mention the month of November by way of explanation? Could it be that this was supposed to be my Cobra payment for the month?

Full of hope, I sat down with my checkbook, ready and willing to pay $38.81 per month for continued health coverage. It's a steal! But just as my pen was about to hit the paper, I paused, and dug up the old Cobra paperwork just for fun. Oh my. Yes, $38.81 was far too good to be true, and the number seemed to have been invented by gnomes. What these people wanted from me was actually $433.16 per month, which is hilarious considering the weekly payout for Unemployment Insurance in my state is $405 after federal taxes. Needless to say, I have opted not to continue this wonderful service.

Instead, after having been uninsured and paranoid since the end of my employment, I finally bit the proverbial bullet today and applied online for catastrophic health insurance through Tonik. Sigh. I hate tossing my money down the drain like this, but it's less than a quarter of what Cobra wanted, and if I get hit by a car while out walking, I'll actually be able to go to a hospital. Hooray!

All the same, Obama, if you're listening, you really need to do something about the cost of health insurance. This is madness.