Hi Everyone,

On Saturday, I wrote a neutral summary of Obama’s Health Care Plan. Tonight, I’m going to write two more-personal stories. First, about my experience with health care in America and second, about my parents' experience.

I have a big fear of visiting doctors. Even with health insurance, insurance companies always find ways to weasel out of paying for your visit and sticking you with the bill. Last time I went for a “routine physical,” it cost me $600.

If you want the details, here they are. I called HealthNet the day before my doctor’s visit asking them if they would cover the costs of a routine physical. (In America, you have to call insurance companies before going to the doctor to get approval for the visit, or risk being stuck with a big bill.) The rep I spoke with said my visit would be covered. A month later, I got a bill from my doctor for $600. And that I could pay him using either a Visa or Mastercard.

It turned out that HealthNet RETRO-ACTIVATED MY ACCOUNT. I didn’t know what retro-activated meant until they did this to me. If you go to a doctor on August 1, and the bill is too expensive or the insurance company doesn’t want to pay for it, they it can “rewind” your insurance to July 1, or a previous date, and say that you weren’t covered on the day you visited the doctor - and stick you with the bill.

I did some further investigation and found out my employer didn’t want to pay the premiums for their employees’ health insurance. So they retro-activated their employees health insurance accounts to get a refund on the premiums. All this without notifying their employees. So the employees went to doctors thinking that they would be covered, only to be stuck with big bills. TIP: Never buy into health insurance plans you can't personally control. I learned this the hard way.

This practice is a lot more common than you think. The more people I tell this story to, the more I hear, “that happened to me!” What a disgrace on both employers who do this and health insurance companies who still retro-activate accounts.

I enjoy telling my international friends how insurance works in this country, because they can’t believe that the health industry here is run for-profit, how you have to call insurance companies before going to the hospital, how you can only go to certain hospitals within your “network,” how the more money you pay, the better your treatment and drugs will be, and how you have to nickel-and-dime your doctor and choose what treatments to get because you can’t afford them all.

I write this not to be pessimistic or tell you about my problems. Hopefully, you will have stories to relate to this. If you have frustrations with the way health-care works in this country, you’re not alone.

I’m really fortunate that I’m healthy (although I hate going to doctors and dealing with insurance). I’m really fortunate that my bill came out to be $600, and not $60,000 - which is the cost to treat a heart attack in this country.

What I’m most concerned about is the health of my parents. Probably some Asian-Americans can relate to this. My parents are immigrants, and they don’t speak English. My parents do not know the difference between a deductible, premium, or co-pay. So they go along for the ride - trying not to rock the boat.

My dad is a butcher at a supermarket. His company offers him health insurance, but he has to pay for the premiums himself, and the company plan is not that good. The plan has a $4000 deductible, and doctor visits aren’t covered until the deductible is met. So he pays an absorbent amount of money every time he sees a doctor. Not making that much money to begin with, he spends over $5000 a year on doctor visits and health insurance.

My mom is a home care provider for the county of San Joaquin in California. The county provides health insurance, but only if she works 20 hours or more a week and pays $100 a month for the plan. My mom liked her insurance, until her hours got cut at work. She then lost all her insurance. My mom has psoriasis and takes expensive pills for it. But because she lost her insurance, she stopped taking her pills. I can’t tell you how heartbreaking it is to go home and see your parents stop taking their medications because they can’t afford it.

I can’t tell you how heartbreaking it is to see your parents barely getting by, and having to spend a bunch of money on doctor visits and health insurance premiums. I offered to buy them better insurance and pay for their medications to make their problems go away, but they keep refusing me.

I am so saddened by this situation, beyond belief. I write this not to bring you down, but to give an honest account of health insurance in America today. The health industry is really run for-profit here. The more you pay, the better treatment you get. I hope you can relate with your own personal stories of health insurance in America.

I think the people who say that they are happy with their insurance only say it because they haven’t seen anything better. I understand your frustrations with the system. I understand it’s no fun having to call insurance companies to get pre-approved to see a doctor, or fighting with them over payments, or having to explain to your parents or children that their insurance got cut, and that they could no longer see a doctor or take their medications.

There is hope. Our country is talking about health insurance reform again. I’m glad Obama is bringing up the issue of health care in America so forcefully in his first year. Whether we see Obama’s plan realized, or a variation of it realized, one thing that we all agree on is that our health insurance system needs to be changed for the better.