“What are you talking about! That’s insane” cried the HR lady. …….”I thought you needed to know” I replied.
By Molly Mulebriar
Enrolling for Medicare was an easy, quick process. Internet based, one has only to complete a short, simple application (takes about 10 minutes) and your’e done. No health questions, no PPO directory to review, no height and weight question, no medical questionnaire to worry about……just indicate who you are, your birthdate, Social Security Number, and a few other generic questions. No waiting period for pre-existing conditions. And it’s almost free coverage and it’s cheap!
Or is it?
The other day our new HR person called to ask “Molly, what is our waiting period before employees are insured on our health plan? After the call, I wondered about my waiting period to enroll on my government health plan. Then it dawned on me, “Why in the world did it take so long and boy at what a phenomenal cost!
My waiting period was 47 years. It started when I was 18 entering the work force (after winning Miss Texas). And that’s when I started paying for the coverage too. So I paid for insurance without having any, during a waiting period longer than most people used to live in the days of old.
So I buzzed our new HR director back and said “Just so you know, all our employees are in another waiting period too, spanning many, many years but they are not in any waiting period for paying for it! “
“What are you talking about! That’s insane” cried the HR lady.
“I thought you needed to know” I replied. “And, once the coverage takes effect, our employees will continue to pay for it, especially those who make more money than others. Those unfortunate to have been more successful than others, earning the big bucks I happily pay for excellence, will have to pay even more for coverage they already paid for.”
Editor’s Note: Mulebriar is
an infrequent contributor to this blog from Waring, Texas. A former Miss Texas and winner of the 1987 South Texas Jalapeno Eating Contest, Mulebriar is an investigative reporterette for the Waring Gazette specializing in exposing the secrets of the American health care delivery system.
