Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
This week Brian emailed me all of the open enrollment information from his work. I haven’t yet had the strength to open it.
I can’t be the only person who dreads sorting through all the provider options when it’s time to choose insurance again, right? I mean, yes, it’s important, and I’m glad we have options, but it’s just so overwhelming. The premiums are the easy part to compare, but all that really helps you do is rule out the ones you know you can’t afford. Then you have to get down to the real nitty-gritty—coverages, deductibles, networks, the list goes on and on.
I’ll admit, there have been plenty of years that I’ve just looked at the information long enough to determine if we would still be insured if we just left everything exactly as it was, and then I just let it ride. Last year, with my change in job status and associated loss of benefits, I pored over Brian’s information painstakingly, trying to find a way to duplicate the vision and dental benefits we’d had with my job without spending a small fortune. Then, I went and let open season pass me by without making a final decision. I was beyond annoyed. This year has to be different, if for no other reason than I’m pretty sure I need a new prescription for my glasses. And, I’ve got some weirdo condition with my eyes (I never can remember what they call it) that makes me have to get really expensive lenses; I need some insurance to help offset that. Billy’s contacts are at least normal enough, but they’re still not cheap. And Brian has reading glasses, along with day and night driving glasses. Yeah, some vision insurance could be really helpful. If only I didn’t have to sort through all of that paperwork to make it happen.
And, yes, I am very much aware that this is what the Internet likes to refer to as a #firstworldproblem. I do recognize how fortunate I am to even have the big pile of papers to sort through and the freedom to choose. But that doesn’t make it any less overwhelming, and I really wish there was an easier way.
