I retired from practicing law over ten years ago. I didn’t know what retirement would bring, but I knew the time was right to find out. My husband’s health wasn’t getting any better, but we could still get up and go. He retired following a stroke in 1977, so he had a head start. I could keep our employer health insurance and not wait for Medicare to kick in. Seemed like a sign.
It was really a sign that retirement is all about health, or the lack of it. Since I retired, we have both survived cancer, had body parts replaced with after-market parts, and spent many hours in doctor’s waiting rooms. I never met a lawyer that would keep clients waiting for 2 hours. We have fired a few doctors for that reason. One doctor, a lung specialist, decided that his patients could no longer use his restrooms, so they were directed to go to the end of the hall, take an elevator, then go to the end of that hall. Dragging an oxygen tank. Fired him.
One problem we haven’t had is paying for all of this fun. I paid CJ’s premiums; mine were paid as part of my compensation, but not as a gift. Recent comments about health insurance, and what is covered, sound like some people have been living in a vacuum, like on Mars.
No independent insurance is available for people with pre-existing conditions, if Obamacare fails. Even acne as a teenager can disqualify you. So forget about hanging out a shingle and paying your way. Pay your own medical bills? Our insurance was charged $34,000.00 for an outpatient scan, no treatment, no bed. One month’s supply of antibiotics for an infection picked up at the hospital? $3800.00.
Just saying, kids, quit moaning about creeping socialism until you have paid a few bills.
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