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I remember the call as thouh it were yesterday. It was around 3am and the stillness of the night was broken with the high pitched chirp of the cordless still laying beside the bed. I had just finished talking with Kristina hours before in her room in Guatemala. Now my room here in the USA was filled with the annoyance of someone calling at an awful hour. I was sure it as a wrong number so I barely woke up to answer.
My peace was broken when I heard Kristina on the other end barely able to speak through the tears and her attempt to be quiet for Mia’s sake. Her wisdom tooth was hurting beyond what she could bear. Finally calm, she asked what she should do.
“Go wake Rita and Oswald,” our hosts, “and ask them for some pain medicine…”
The phone hung up quietly and I lay there trying to get ahold of what was happening. Suddenly I felt a cold chill as I thought of the cost of having Kristina’s wisdom teeth pulled. Harsh as that may sound, with every penny maxed out for the adoption, food was almost a luxury.
Later that day, Kristina called and said she was feeling a little better (after a bottle of advil 
. She had spoken with the dentist and she was going to have the tooth pulled. She opted to only have one pulled instead of 4. This was a doctor who joined the ministry we were with for medical journeys to remote regions of Guatemala so Kristina was at ease about the procedure. Cautiously I asked how much it would cost.
“Eighteen Dollars” Kristina replied with a smile on her voice.
Not fully paying attention or already sure of the cost I said “I’m not sure how we can do this…eighteen dollars?”
“Yep and that is for everything!”
“Feel like getting them all pulled?” I said half serious. She wasn’t to hip to the idea.
FAST FORWARD -> Last month, Kristina’s jaws felt a familiar pain and she knew the inevitable had happened. It was time to get the rest of the wisdom teeth pulled. This time by a doctor here in North Carolina.
$695…up front
So are their negatives…well I have one for that too!
I have a doctor’s appointment today. It will cost me nothing. I’ll come home with a month’s worth of meds, some very expensive (cholesterol, BP) also at no cost.
And this is in a tiny country that really stretches to cover health.
There is no way I could move back to the States, as I’d never be able to afford the insurance…as if anyone would take me on anyway! I’m almost 55 and have preexisiting conditions so would be considered uninsurable. Shameful practive.
The US MUST change their healthcare system. It’s killing people.
I’m pretty sure my husband would be looking to see if the trip back would be cheaper!
Having lived in both Canada and Israel and both having socialized medicine, I have seen the positive and negatives of both systems. However, the situation of the uninsured, partially insured, or badly insured in the U.S. is tragic.