The idiocy of health insurance.

Since like February, I'd been trying to get appointments with an allergist, though for that I'd need an appointment with a general practitioner, and by the time that happened and then I realized that the referral he gave me was out of network, it was already early March.

Then, it was such a b*tch to use the 'convenient' online practitioner finder.

For one, I couldn't use the finder on my smartphone, so I'd have to go use a desktop at the library, where I couldn't make phonecalls, but rather I had to go and write numbers down or print them out so I could make all of the calls later.

Then, when I finally did get around to making the calls, like so many of the listings were wonky - only a few were actually in city limits even though I live in a ginormous city, one wasn't an allergist at all, one was a kid's mobile allergy van from some university health project, and two had bad numbers.

I got frustrated, so I set it aside, only to return a week later and try to find different numbers for those doctors, and right away one went through and I could confirm that that one was in network, so then I had to write my general practitioner and get the referral switched.

Then, it arrived and I went to go make the appointment, and it turns out that that allergist was in network, but he hadn't maintained the city office listed for several years, only stuff way out in far outlying suburbs and even cities a good distance away from the city I live in, so I couldn't use him as a doctor at all.

So, I had to go through finding another doctor, and a different allergist close by me was now listed on the website.

Only, his office couldn't tell me if my insurance was used or not, and said just to get the referral and they'd call me if it wasn't, they regularly checked that, and anyhow they could tell me day of the appointment at the office if it wasn't.

All in all, this wasted like two months of my time, and then it's another month to an appointment, if that pans out, all for maybe getting allergy shots if I can afford them, and that'd be a six month course, which might push up into next year when my expenses reset, for all that I know.

Going through all of this, you really see how health insurance is b*llsh*t and keeps people from care.

And what's up with those inaccurate listings?

It galls me that you can't get money refunded for how much those inaccurate listings dick you around.

And, on top of all this, who knows how much premiums will skyrocket next year, because of all of this coronavirus b*llsh*t.  Between me and what the government chips in, I already pay like FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS a year to my health insurance company, for shit I hardly use and hardly can use.

And, THAT'S THE CHEAPEST STANDARD PLAN IN MY AREA.

Health insurance and healthcare in this country is so f*cking jacked, I swear to G-dd-ss.