Before and After (...88 days)

After a great one-hour run in the rain (lovely, not nasty rain), a cup of coffee, and some leftover Easter chocolate, I sat down to do some work.  It was the morning, so I was feeling energetic and optimistic about making a final decision on which health care option to choose.  This is in place of using my employer offered plan through COBRA.  The Massachusetts Health Connector website is surprisingly easy to navigate.  Eligibility requirements, available options, and the application process are clear.  But the options are dismal.  Any plans offering equivalent coverage to my current BCBS and dental plan cost nearly as much as COBRA ($635.58/month!).  If I choose a plan with a reduced monthly cost, the coverage is reduced as well.  It’s sickening to think about the choices I have to make with respect to my health. And, it makes the health care debate feel much more personal than it has prior to now.

Today, after assessing the options and potential costs, I’ve made some progress and narrowed my options to just two.  But it was not without penalty.  My energy from this morning has been sucked right out.  I probably look a lot less like the happy couple on the MAHC website, than I look like Edward and Bella from the Twilight series:  dark, surly, brooding.

Soon I’ll post the resources I’ve found or been given that have helped determine an alternate health care option to COBRA.