Health Care Rant

I was so excited that my health insurance costs were included in my cost of attendance, and therefore included in my federal loans. Well, as usual, I've been having trouble sleeping so I decided to make a doctor's appointment. It has turned into one hell of a day.

Health insurance through school cost about $1100 and covers me through August. My office visits are covered at a clinic that is about 1 mile from school. I should have known things weren't going to go well when I was put on hold for 10 minutes (!!!) when I tried to make the appointment in the first place. Luckily I made the appointment for 1pm today and not any later even though I don't have class until 4pm. I arrived at the clinic at 12:45 assuming that there would be some sort of paperwork even though nobody said that when I made the appointment. When I got there, they just had me sign in on a piece of paper. 25 minutes later (1:10pm for those of you keeping track) I get called to fill out the paperwork. The receptionist handed me a big stack of paperwork and told me to fill it out. I started to do that and then realized that most of the stack was about employment worker's comp type stuff. I went back up to ask her and she said I could skip all of that. Ok, so I handed in my paperwork at about 1:13.

1:45pm rolls around and I am finally called back to see the doctor. She seemed nice enough as I went into my explanation of my insomnia and how I've had it for as long as I can remember. She proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions about whether or not I'm depressed and suicidal. I kept telling her no and explaining my medical history. She asked me 4 separate times if I was feeling suicidal. NO. I'M. NOT. She asked about all of the sleeping pills I have tried in the past and I told her. She then agreed to write me a prescription for 20 pills but if I wanted to get a refill I would have to meet with a psychiatrist. I told her ok and she wrote the prescription and I went on my not-so-merry way.

I walked down the street a few blocks to the CVS pharmacy that takes my student health insurance. When I get helped, the pharmacist says that my health insurance is valid but that it doesn't cover Ambien or the generic version of it. Frustrated, I asked how much it would cost to fill the prescription. He said 2 pills were $10.99. 2. Two. Two pills. The doctor told me she would write it for 20. 30 minutes later I walked out of the pharmacy with my 2 measly sleeping pills that I paid $5.50 each for.

So I haven't had a chance to call the doctor's office again to ask why the prescription was for 2 pills, but I don't know that it matters anyway. I can't afford to pay $5.50 for each pill. That is what my insurance was supposed to be for! The insurance said I have a $15 copay for generic medications, but that doesn't matter since its not covered.

What a crappy day. At least I'll get 2 nights of good sleep I guess.