Delaware

Last week I received a 400.00 bill from my children’s pediatrician.  Confused, I called the Doctor’s office and was informed that our insurance provider had denied the claim.

Now, before I continue, let me say that we are extremely fortunate to have – what most people would consider – excellent insurance.  This wasn’t always the case, for there was a time when Mr. Pandora and I suffered through the hell known as individual health insurance.  And for those of you who have never experienced buying your own insurance allow me to educate you on the scam it is and how you could find yourself in this predicament overnight.

First, for all the praise lavished on small business as the backbone of our economy most people do not realize that a lot of small businesses are one employee illness away from losing their group insurance.   And that’s exactly what happened to me, and up until I found myself in this situation I had barely given health insurance a second thought.  

In the early 1990s I worked for a thriving small, Delaware business that employed approximately 200 people.  It was a young industry, with a workforce whose average age was 30.  In other words, we were an insurance company’s ideal demographic.  Things were going great until one employee, a young woman, developed a life threatening condition and actually used her health insurance.  This is where the nightmare begins.