Insure-Me-Woes

Like most people my age, 26 brings with it not just another year, but also the loss of... dun dun dun! Insurance! Health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, they're all goooooone! And just for me, my student loans and car insurance also happen to come due this month, because when it rains it pours people.

Putting aside the major suck that is going to be forking over the contents of my bank account for insurance every month, losing coverage also means I have to cram all the fun and scintillating medical procedures I don't really want to have into the next two weeks.

Since continuing my current coverage through cobra isn't an option, unless I want to pay triple individual rates, it looks like I will not be buying a separate dental or vision plan. That makes vision and dental stuff top priority to get done before I lose my coverage.

Thus far, my to do list is:

• An eye exam - No changes, all good
• Order backup glasses - Still need to do, and quickly!
• Dental cleaning - Check!
• Oral surgery consultation - Done!
• Gum graft surgery - Ugh. Next week.
• Apply for Health Insurance - Don't have any words for this one. I still haven't done it yet although I've done all the pre-work. 

 

Genetically, people on my sperm donor's side of the family have crappy mouths.  They have genetically sucky gums in the front, genetically missing teeth and a whole host of other weird dental stuff. Luckily, I've escaped almost everything. I've never had a cavity and my teeth are great, but it's become apparent that the bastard gave me his shitty gums in One tiny spot. Literally just one teensy spot while the rest are perfect. I have to have a little graft to fix it and it looks like I'll be squeezing it in just under the wire, literally days before my coverage ends. Even with the coverage I'm sure I'll still be out at least a grand, but it's better than owing the whole bill.

Now I just need to decide which insurance plan I want. It's all unnecessarily complicated - Co-payments? Deductibles? Out of Pocket Max? Do I want an HMO? A PPO? Ugh. It's all so much more expensive than it should be, and it seems that no matter how I slice it, I'll end up paying either upfront, ie month to month, or in the end, with a deductible. I've got to get a better handle on what each plan means.

Happy Birthday to me, 26 Years

For being the shortest month, February is always one of our busy ones. It's part of our three month line up of "holidays" - my birthday, Valentine's Day, our Anniversary, and E's birthday. This year, even though E was really too busy to think much about anything, he still managed to make me feel special and loved on my birthday.

He started off the day by making one of my favorite breakfasts - Belgian waffles, bacon and cheese eggs. He prepped the night before and did a beautiful job, everything came out delicious. I usually do all of the cooking in our family since I love to cook, but I could definitely get used to E making yummy things. We spent the day relaxing together and finished off the night with a phenomenal dinner at my favorite steak house, Mastro's. Mastro's is definitely our splurge restaurant, the steaks are so soft and buttery and the generous sides complement them perfectly.

Mastro's <3 br="" yum="">

To top off this birthday with a little glam, E got me the most gorgeous earrings that arrived a couple days after my birthday. They're sparkly diamond cluster studs with brilliant diamond sunburst jackets so I can wear the centers casually and the whole set for more classy events. I'm absolutely in love with them and he could not have done better.

And if I thought my birthday couldn't get any better, I had a fun and tasty dinner with a family friend at BJ's and  E and I had a third birthday dinner with my mother-in-law, step-father-in-law and another family friend.   Although I'm sure all this delicious food isn't helping my waistline, I could not feel more loved and appreciated by E and our families and friends.

E, I love you so much. Thank you for making my birthday so special. I can't wait to spend the next 74 with you.