Insurance, money and the state of denial

Generally I get along pretty well with this whole cancer thing by utilizing a strong case of denial. I deny that my cancer will be "bad," I deny that I will have trouble paying for this medical care, I deny that I will use up all the savings I've been hoping will hold me until I get an actual job, etc., etc. I seem to have a strong ability to deny things, so I guess that's a good thing.

I have been dreading calling my insurance company, and have been letting the bills pile up. I paid some of the early, smaller ones, because I knew that I would have to pay my $5000 high deductible insurance. I have an Health Savings Account (HSA) with almost that amount in it. But these were huge, scary bills.

But today I got good news! I finally called my insurance company. BTW, I have been extremely happy with my Aetna "Essential Premier Health Insurance" offered through AARP. Less than $300/month, even for the 3 of us! So, I called them and talked to a wonderful, helpful woman who told me that several of those bills had already been paid in full by Aetna, and confirmed the amounts I had left to pay on my $5000 deductible. So, that took a big mental weight off my mind.

But, I do recommend denial. Highly useful. "Delusional... you say that likes it's a bad thing."

P.S. HSAs are fabulous, people! You put in pre-tax dollars, they earn interest, I was able to get matching money from my college when I was employed to the tune of $180/month. I accumulated $5K in 2 years, almost the max. The money rolls over from year to year. MSAs are a "use it or lose it" thing - stay away from those unless you know you have big doctor bills. You get a checking account and a debit card for the HSA, so whenever you have a medical bill you just pay it with that. AND if you have money in there after retirement age you can just withdraw it without penalties.

I think it's extra good for me because knowing that I have money that can only be used for medical bills means that I do actually go to the doctor when I need to. Otherwise I would probably put it off or try to self-treat. Why I didn't get annual mammograms is still a mystery to me, though. Well, I certainly didn't realize they were covered at 100% pre-deductible as wellness care. And I was relying on good genes and good family history. Oops.