afc

I went to American Family Care twice this month. The end of a cotton swab came off in my ear when I was getting ready to go to the airport to fly to Richmond, Virginia on 3 November. Neither I or my wife who is a skilled veterinary surgeon could get it out. To her credit, the doctor at AFC could not pull it out either. He flushed it out by injecting warm water into the ear and even that required three tries. By the way, I have not touched a cotton swab for any reason since 3 November.

My left eyelid was increasingly swollen and sore when I showed up again on 17 November. Dr. Caruso was on duty again and diagnosed me with a sty. Doctors take sties seriously. He prescribed 2 eye drops in each eye four times per day for 5 days and two different antibiotics every 12 hours for 7 days. He also instructed me to apply hot compresses to the left eye multiple times per day. He warned me that I would need to see an eye doctor if the sty did not respond to treatment within a week and that it would be unpleasant if I did.

On both occasions, I showed up at 8 AM and did not have to wait more than a few minutes before being ushered into an exam room. I was grateful to get medical help so quickly and easily.

I went to the doctor promptly because treatment is cheaper, easier, and more likely to be effective with new problems than with problems that are allowed to grow worse over time. And many things do grow worse over time. I also went promptly because I could afford it. My ear visit cost a co-pay of $25. My eye visit cost two co-pays – $25 at the doctor and $75 at the pharmacy.

My house cleaners where present when I came home from the pharmacy. They watched me take my first dose of eye drops. I told them my story and how grateful I was to get help for a modest amount of money. As I spoke I realized they might not have health insurance. Indeed, they told me that going to the doctor as I had just done would cost them about $300. So it would have cost them $600 to see the doctor twice as I did in November and I have no idea how much the prescriptions would have cost them.

My housecleaners never took vacations when they started cleaning my house about 10 years ago. Housecleaners don’t get paid when they don’t show up, but they started taking vacations several years ago. I realized vacations meant they were doing better financially than they had been doing; now they can save up enough money to take a week off. But seeing a doctor twice could wipe out their savings and stop them from taking a vacation.

I’m still grateful that I could get medical help easily and cheaply, but am sad that my housecleaners cannot.

Note: My healthcare costs during months I don’t go to the doctor are $818 between what my employer pays on my behalf and what is deducted from my paycheck for medical insurance. I consider it a bargain whether or not I ever am hurt in a serious accident or develop a life-threatening illness because the money covers whoever in the system needs help. But right now, my housecleaners are outside of the system. All of God’s children should be inside the system.