I am trying to decide what to make of insurance companies. How it all fits into the big picture of being a safety blanket; it feels like some form of rescue in times of great distress. Logically, I think that when I spend copious amounts on premiums every month. I get protected from a variety of dubious acts no one can predict as well as protect others from my unforeseen future stupidity. It all sounds seductive in a lot of ways however I am finding there is little in that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow if you are an honest and sincere client.
I added it up and gasped when I realized what I pay to seemingly protect myself and others. Then I began to daydream of wonderful things I could do with all the money I'd save if I cancelled all my policies on mass. I could, say, lay on the beach for weeks on end. Actually pay for the hotel instead of wash dishes in the kitchen. Perhaps quit working 5 separate jobs, start walking everywhere and take the bus. Gee - I'd be "green" which would make me hip, not to mention celebrate a huge weight shift and healthier lifestyle. Maybe life longer? Not bank on my own demise and count on saving that premium money so I can pay for the old folks home in cash. Perhaps, now here's a novel thought... retire? Yeah - stop working at a ripe old age. That has been pretty much torn away from me since the economic downturn.
Yesterday, I learned that my "cadillac" health insurance has no mental health coverage. Seems after 14 years of great insurance, our group plan was downgraded without our knowledge. However, with a hike in the premium, it was easy to assume we might be getting something that was actually better than what we had. Hah! Here I am, working for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, praising the great changes with the passing of the Mental Health Parity Act, and I don't even have mental health coverage? I asked the beloved customer service rep, this was before I told her she was going straight to hell, what then DID the Mental Health Parity Act mean? Well - I guess you have to have 50 or more people in your group plan or it isn't included. What kind of joke is that? Not a loophole? Seems to me that no matter what the good intentions are of any President signing a bill, the special interest groups work their way in to create holes in the plan so for-profit insurance companies can find a way to decline your claim. Ridiculous. Makes me very worried about the new health care bill. I do love the idea however!
I am truly fed up. I can't imagine hundred's of thousands of people who aren't. So why no revolt? I haven't got a clue. I think we've all become so complacent that we truly believe we have no power anymore. And it's beginning to look like that is a strong possibility. And if I hear another claims adjuster say that they "care" about me, I think I will just go squirrelly!
So now the issue of karma. I really think about that everytime something happens where my actions can affect others. If I dent even slightly, someone's car, I will stay or leave a note so the individual I have violated will know I have integrity and character and want to come clean with my mistake. However, my vehicle has been hit over 6 times. No notes. Not a one. So is karma working here? I don't think so. So I'm off to get an extimate for the last dent - it is $150.00 over and above our $1,000.00 deductable. And we have $1,150.00 laying around waiting to be used for car repairs when someone smashes the car and drives away? So now it sits, big dent and all with no wheel well cover - pulled out when the car was hit - and I get to stare everyday at what someone decided didn't matter enough to them to be accountable for. That I or my feelings didn't matter to them. It really is a sad commentary on our society as a whole.
So I really believe that insurance companies don't truly care - but to be fair, they need to act in good faith and should do the right thing to make a bad thing right. Maybe if we felt they really did care, we might have more confidence in them. I certainly don't.
