it will cost you
so you’re mentally ill and need treatment? hang on to your checkbook. a rough estimate of what it has cost me from 7/20/09 until 1/22/10. and i HAVE INSURANCE.
3 visits to the ER in the span of a week (Emergency Physician Bills): 3 x 351.00 = $1053.00
3 visits to the ER in the span of a week (Hospital Charges) 3 x 217.00 = $651.00
1 emergency consultation by MyTherapyCenter at the ER : 1 x $150.00 (note: there were actually two, but i was not charged for the second)
deductible for 6 day inpatient stay at the Behavioral Hospital: $2700.00
intake visit at MyTherapyCenter upon discharge from Hospital: $125.00
approx 15 visits to MyTherapyCenter (includes Therapy & Dr. Bat) at $40 a pop: $600
medication: 4 months @ $35, 1 month @ $52 = $190
grand total: $5469.00
if my employer hadn’t used my vacation time and covered my “recovery” week (out of the hospital, but trying to acclimate to being on the “outside”), i would have been up shit creek for regular household bills & rent.
the bills started rolling in about two days after i returned home from the Behavioral Hospital. it took me about six weeks to be able to look at them. they stacked up neatly on the corner of the coffee table, until one day the cat’s tail lightly brushed by and they fell in an avalanche.
“honey, you’re going to have to start taking care of these” my husband murmured.
and i started to cry.
i sputtered, sobbing that it was too much. that i knew that this stack of paperwork needed to be handled, but that i just couldn’t bear it. that it was unfair. and then i cried some more.
the following week i put my Big Girl Pants on, took a deep breath, and started opening the envelopes.
