I’ve always liked to perform psychological experiments on myself. No, not like the Stanford prison experiment more Pavlovian than anything. Needless to say, I now say soda instead of pop. Sorry Ohio.
This time around I’m conditioning myself to be ok with using the system for help. I’ve signed up for Healthy San Francisco — the city’s own health care plan for those living at, or below, 500% of the Federal Poverty Level. Who said unemployment wasn’t hip? Not me. See, I’ve been without health care for just about six-months now. Besides my pre-existing condition, I’m a pretty healthy gal — yay for walking! I realized that while I’m relatively healthy now, it’s about prevention for later in life. If anything, unemployment taught me that I should have paid more attention in Girl Scouts because it’s about being prepared for any situation. Something I’ve avoided because I’m young and healthy, and I thought that I didn’t need to see a doctor. Don’t worry kids, my new found preparedness will only push me to bunging jump or sky dive from higher locations because now I’ll have a doctor when I fall.
I won’t lie that I’m a little concerned about what the insurance really means. I’m usually very hesitant about opening myself up for anything touted as free or semi-free. I signed up for it in a park and I can’t help but get these flash backs to all those credit card application dealers that used to hang out on my college campus. At least there you could get away with false information for a free shirt. You could never have to many over-sized, extra-large t-shirts on hand, could you? I’m not sure what benefit I’d get if I lied to the health care dealers so I told the truth.
Part of my journey is exploring and taking advantage of programs and situations that will help me. Learning I can’t do everything on my own is a big lesson. I like being self-sufficient and it annoys me to no end that there are some things in life that I can’t do. This week I’ve had my mini-melt downs and my St. Elmo’s Fire moments of wind-blown empty rooms. Don’t judge, it’s been a rough week and I’m over it. I’ll try it out and see if it works, and while I won’t be able to get my teeth cleaned or vision tested, I will be able to see a doctor. Totally beats those free t-shirts, hands down.
