Job creation from health care and insurance benefits

Today I'm sitting in a hospital, waiting for an appointment for a class. This morning I dropped off my wife, for some surgery. And in between, I have had some blood drawn for an appoitment on Friday, and had lunch.

But it is a lot more than lunch - a nice bright cafe in the Cancer Center.

We're all good for the economy and Anchorage. Wow. We are really providing for the city we live in, and for this hospital, providing for them an economic boost - just by ourselves.

Take my case: I have stage 4 lung cancer, and my insurance company, Aetna lists Providence Hospital in Anchorage as my preferred provider. After my maximum out-of-picket expense is met, as long as I go to this hospital then I won't have to pay anything other than my premium. The copay for prescritpions is relatively small and is not included.

And what expenses do I have? In August alone, I had an MRI of my spine, a CT scan of my abdomen and some kind of nuclear bone test - listing for about $14,000. And Aetna paid Providence in Anchorage. 

The tests were the third round for me this year. And I also took radiation treatments at Alaska Radiology, on the first floor of another Anchorage Hospital, Alaska Regional - and also chemo-therapy at a local pharmacy.

And now my wife gets to bring in her share.

Together we might bring in $60,000 this year. Pretty good for two middle aged folks - just for getting old and sick.

And what does Providence and the other providers use the money for? A big share woule be for the equipment that is bought out of state and shipped in. But most would be to pay variable and fixed costs, for example as in for the staff, doctors and buildings. Local folks build the buildings and staff the offices, so all good there.

So, as someone looking at the end of my life - after paying for insurance around the country for decades: now I'm cashing in those insurance credits in Alaska.

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