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LotusCarsLtd
Guest
I am a college student from a low-income family who until recently had no health insurance. But there is a local hospital that runs a free clinic that has been able to help us solve this problem. From what I understand anyone who uses the free clinic is enrolled in a special health insurance program through the hospital that can cover up to 100% of the person’s health care costs. The catch is that the insurance can only be used at this specific hospital or at the other hospitals in it’s system. The other catch is that the only people who qualify for this insurance are those individuals living within a certain geographical area.
Here’s where my dilemma starts: sometime during college my dad informed me of this insurance program and told me that he was going to enroll himself, my sister, and I in this program… I never used it at all until recently when I went for dental appointments since I had not had my teeth checked for many, many years. The dentist revealed that I would need a cleaning, have two cavities drilled, and have all four of my wisdom teeth removed.
But it was also during this time that I became aware of the insurance program’s mandate that only those living within a certain geographical area could use the insurance. I am at college and I am no longer living within the geographical area and neither is my family. With this in mind I still went for one dental appointment (the one during which I discovered the problems with my wisdom teeth and cavities) and was scheduled to have them pulled this week.
Since I am no longer living within the geographical area required to use this insurance I feel I am no longer rightfully able to use it and I was considering canceling my dental appointment accordingly and foregoing ever using the insurance again (even though it doesn’t expire until May of this year). But I am not going to say anything to the hospital about where I am living since they might discover that my father is, like me, no longer living within the geographical area specified by the insurance. And if he lost this insurance it would literally kill him: he is desperately relying upon it for his life-saving medication and medical care and will have to use it to undergo several surgeries that, if he doesn’t receive them, could result in his death. As for me though I was thinking of quietly canceling my appointment and never using the insurance again (which works out either way…the teeth extraction is 75% covered but I still can’t afford the $200+ in costs that I would have to pick-up myself).
I could get insurance through my school but I don’t think it covers dental and I graduate in May, meaning that the insurance would be largely a waste for me.
So I am wondering two things:
Here’s where my dilemma starts: sometime during college my dad informed me of this insurance program and told me that he was going to enroll himself, my sister, and I in this program… I never used it at all until recently when I went for dental appointments since I had not had my teeth checked for many, many years. The dentist revealed that I would need a cleaning, have two cavities drilled, and have all four of my wisdom teeth removed.
But it was also during this time that I became aware of the insurance program’s mandate that only those living within a certain geographical area could use the insurance. I am at college and I am no longer living within the geographical area and neither is my family. With this in mind I still went for one dental appointment (the one during which I discovered the problems with my wisdom teeth and cavities) and was scheduled to have them pulled this week.
Since I am no longer living within the geographical area required to use this insurance I feel I am no longer rightfully able to use it and I was considering canceling my dental appointment accordingly and foregoing ever using the insurance again (even though it doesn’t expire until May of this year). But I am not going to say anything to the hospital about where I am living since they might discover that my father is, like me, no longer living within the geographical area specified by the insurance. And if he lost this insurance it would literally kill him: he is desperately relying upon it for his life-saving medication and medical care and will have to use it to undergo several surgeries that, if he doesn’t receive them, could result in his death. As for me though I was thinking of quietly canceling my appointment and never using the insurance again (which works out either way…the teeth extraction is 75% covered but I still can’t afford the $200+ in costs that I would have to pick-up myself).
I could get insurance through my school but I don’t think it covers dental and I graduate in May, meaning that the insurance would be largely a waste for me.
So I am wondering two things:
- Should I cancel my appointment this week and never again use the insurance like I feel I should? and;
- What should I do about my dad? I couldn’t justifiably say anything to the hospital because it could get his insurance cut-off and likely kill him because of it.
