Let’s start with the positive. I’m excited about Obamacare. Yes, that monthly payment is going to make a serious dent in any discretionary funds I have, but considering I’m fat, and fat is a preexisting condition, it means I’ll be able to get coverage that doesn’t surpass the cost of a mortgage payment. I’m excited about being able to go to the doctor again for the simple things, things any insured person would balk at not looking at, but would have cost me hundreds of dollars just to walk through the door.

The old way, for me…

 

I had an ear infection over the summer, though there wasn’t pain I had severely diminished hearing in one ear for almost 2 months while I had to wait it out. When I told people that was what was wrong they just looked at me like I was from another planet. Who doesn’t go to the doctor to get the antibiotics to cure an ear infection? I didn’t. I couldn’t afford the $300 out of pocket to go to the doctor at that time, plus whatever they prescribed.

But here we come to the crux of the problem. Even in the above example of how Obamacare will help, there is one critical component that I did not address. That is getting into the doctor in the first place.

Are there enough doctors for Obamacare?

I live in a region where there are waiting lists for primary care physicians, and if a specialist is needed it can take more than a year to secure an appointment. There are people who boo-hoo the socialized systems of healthcare in other countries, saying people die waiting to get an appointment. Hate to burst your bubble, but it happens in the privatized US as well.

Some estimates state that 7 million new enrollees will be added to the healthcare system. I ask, who will be caring for these people?

Due to the holidays I’ll be enrolling sometime early in the New Year. Once I decide who my insurer will be it will be time to start looking for a doctor to take me on.

Wish me luck. 

To be continued…