bitterness and irony

i'm a temp. i temp for [big insurance co]. i have no insurance...

i've been meaning to get some form of insurance. COBRA from my old work was running over $300/month so that wasn't an option. but my roommate's brain surgery bills reminded me how important insurance is ([different big insurance co] is stuck with over $200k for her).

my temp agency offers insurance--they were supposed to provide info with the first check. i've gotten 2 checks, no info, and haven't followed up yet. i'm a slacker.

my ear seems to want to be infected. i'm almost positive it is. my sinuses have been messed up since my arrival. now my ear hurts. constant effort can keep it at bay, but it's not giving up easily.

i have no insurance. i'm in a new city, i need some form of infection killer, i'm an american in america. they don't sell antibiotics over the counter. i'm screwed.

well, not screwed, but seeing first hand how screwy our system is. i can afford (with some pain) a doctor's visit and a prescription. but i'm not looking forward to spending more than $100 for a five minute visit for the doctor to tell me what i already know and to scribble on a piece of paper. i can think of much better uses for (untold amounts of) that money.

i've been looking into insurance the past couple of days. i can have a free doctor's visit in two to four weeks if i apply today. i can't take the chance that the infection will spread further and make me really sick. i can have catastrophic insurance "coverage" in a couple of days, but that doesn't do anything for something as routine as an ear infection... hell, it hardly helps me out in a catastrophe unless i come close to death--then i'd still leave the hospital with a mountain of debt.

i'm an uninsured employee of an insurance agency. i'll be fine, but our system is broken. a fractured system that leaves millions out. something's got to give.

ps, for a good time, try searching for your own health insurance; that was one of the more confusing things i've done in a long time.