Healthcare American-Style

How I Almost Had a Heart Attack When I Got Back from the Doctor’s Office

Richard Medugno
2 min readSep 15, 2021
Photo by Sammy Williams on Unsplash

I spent the last week doing all this “stuff” to prepare for an elective medical procedure. I even called my insurance company (that I get through work) to confirm I had coverage on Thursday. I had the procedure on Monday. All went well.

However, when I arrived home, still groggy from anaesthesia, I open my mail. In a letter from my insurance provider it says, “YOUR COVERAGE IS CANCELLED EFFECTIVE 9/2/2021”

WTF!!!!! (Blood pressure is rising, Heart is pounding.)

Then I see the letter is dated 9/3/2021. “Thanks for the heads up [insurane company jerks]. Sending me a letter a day AFTER cancellation. Ever heard of f-ing email?!!”

So I call the insurance company phone number provided in the letter and wait for one hour before I talk to someone who can’t confirm that I have coverage. The agent asks to transfer me to “group coverage.”

I say, “Sure.” Guess what? I got a recorded message saying “Group coverage is closed and will be available at 8 am.”

I read my post-procedure instructions, which include:

  • DO NOT resume normal activities until tomorrow

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Richard Medugno

Richard is an author and scriptwriter. His latest book is Deaf Politician — The Gary Malkowski Story. His latest script is The Mulligan Marriage.