When I first posted the blog about the shingles vaccine, I have to admit I felt dumb that I hadn’t known about it. In the time since then, I realised that I’m not the only one who didn’t know about it, and only 10% of the eligible population (considered to be people over 60) has actually gotten the shot. Why? According to a really interesting article in the NY Times it’s expensive, and not necessarily covered by insurance. My own vaccine was $250, money that I think was well spent, and I don’t know whether the insurance covered any of it. My personal experience with health insurance is that almost nothing is covered, and when it is, it’s an unexpected surprise. But that’s a whole other blog. The people I know who have had shingles all say it was the most painful experience of their lives, and I’m sure would have all coughed up $250 or more to prevent it.
The other issue becomes more of a catch-22; because the vaccine is expensive, and people aren’t getting it, doctors aren’t stocking it, and they’re not recommending it because people don’t want to pay for it, etc… The average cost of treatment for shingles was $525 five years ago, and it takes about 5 weeks to recover from the virus. So wouldn’t you think insurance companies would rather pay the cost of the vaccine, rather than the cost of the treatment? Have you gotten the vaccine? Why or why not?
Don’t forget to check out this week’s Blogging Boomers Carnival.
This was going to be a more upbeat blog this week, but I’m so angry about the way the health insurance reform proposal has been trashed, that it’s time for my two cents. First of all how many of you that have health insurance are happy with it? Not satisfied; happy. If you’re old enough to remember Woodstock, you’re old enough to remember when health insurance covered all doctors, and every procedure. Under managed care, none of my regular doctors are covered, so not only am I shelling out for insurance, then there are the doctors bills on top of that. So what exactly am I paying thousands of dollars a year for? We all know health insurance in this country is expensive, and unsustainable. Why can’t people stop shouting, and take a reasoned look at what’s being proposed?
