The penultimate day of my Aussie friend's stay here, she had to go to the ER with a kidney stone. (Yay for getting it BEFORE the 21 hour flight rather than during).

$6000.

And that was after she negotiated it down. Which I didn't know you could do, but she pointed out that she was a tourist. I just sent her the bills from the ER; hopefully her Oz insurance will cover a lot of it.

Yay cancer free!

I don't have many choices with my health care. We have one HMO plan through work, and it's 20/80 for surgical procedures (the most expensive, of course). The copays in network for normal doctor's visits and such are very reasonable, but nsm big stuff. Now I know.

As for the certification, it's completely voluntary. Teachers need state certification to teach in public schools (none needed for private schools), but the national certification is basically a big, expensive feather in your cap. Kat is certified as well, but we are rarities. I don't know what the numbers are now, but when I got certified in 2001, there were only 50,000 of us in the country.

And that was after she negotiated it down. Which I didn't know you could do, but she pointed out that she was a tourist. I just sent her the bills from the ER; hopefully her Oz insurance will cover a lot of it.

I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be covered under Medicare, being outside the country. I always get travel medical insurance for that reason, which should be pretty comprehensive. (I would especially do so for travelling to America, for I have been billed by American doctors before.)

I always get travel medical insurance for that reason, which should be pretty comprehensive.

She had this as well. I wouldn't have even thought of it.

She had this as well. I wouldn't have even thought of it.

That should be fine then, she should be covered for the bill (maybe a capped copay).

Cancer-free for 7 years, babee!

Yay! That's considered a cure, correct?

That's considered a cure, correct?

Past five years, the odds of recurrence drop significantly, anyway. (Go, ChiKat! Go, me!)

If I had to have surgery, I'd be out of pocket $3,000 plus. I am one of those people who has to buy her own insurance, and I had to go to a higher deductible plan this year or my monthly payment would have gone from $500 to $750. Most office visits and tests are set co-pays, but I pay 20% on things like surgery.

In my case, Kaiser's spent at least half a million on me, so I can't say I haven't gotten my money's worth.

Go team cancer free!

Well, bless the hairdresser because she kept R for half an hour when my yoga class ran late.

Cuss her a little though, because she told R, "The surgery is today! It's RIGHT NOW!!!" 'Cause I wasn't going to do that. Certainly not "It's RIGHT NOW!!!" -- that causes me crazy anxiety and I can keep it straight in my haid.

Hopefully it will slip her mind quickly and not make her a wreck all day.

(What I've gone with is "Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are busy days with lots of doctors and finally the operation. We probably won't hear from them until Wednesday." That rolls in our skipped phone call with the surgery so its upsetting but not, you know... terrifying. She knows its going down.)

Oh yes - tons of surgery~ma directed to NY today!