Just the First Bill

I've been telling anyone who asked why I hadn't gotten my knees fixed years sooner than I did that the reason was I couldn't afford to do so.

Many of those years I had no insurance. Other years, in fact until this year, I had partial insurance, making surgery still more expensive than I wanted to even consider. Once I finally had a complete "Medigap" type of insurance, or a second plan which fills in the gaps of coverage in my Medicare plan, I was more than willing to do whatever it takes to get those knees replaced. Except pay, of course.

I finally got concrete validation for waiting.

I get those bills which say "this is not a bill" on a regular basis, explaining how much my medical care has been billed for, how much is covered by each plan, how much is my responsibility. Generally my part is what I know ahead of time. It's called a co-pay. This year I haven't had any of those. I can walk into my doctors' offices without bringing my purse along. That alone is sweet, but not nearly what I had been waiting for.

I just read in detail the several pages of my latest insurance coverage report. There were a couple minor separate items unrelated to the knee, charges running up to a couple hundred per visit or service. I fully expect that more PT charges will be reported on the next not-a-bill. But the one bottom line total, the one covering the knees, was a breathtaking $46,000. Plus a bit.

I'll be interested in comparing this one to the second knee bill.