Nov022009
Will medical insurance prevent athletes from playing sports?
Filed under AAU Sports, Fall sports, Family, Football, General, Health & Fitness, High School Sports, Injuries by bob hammerstrom at 5:20 pm
I thought once my son was done with expensive AAU sports, and now playing three sports in high school, the bank account might gain a little. But, now there is something else to worry about that could factor in to playing sports - the cost of higher insurance co-pays.
My employer would like to drop our current HRA plan with Anthem, for a costlier HRA plan. Since our family has already met the $4,000 bridge amount ($2,000 from our company and $2,000 out of my pocket) this year, our health care will be covered by insurance through the end of the year - as long as we stay in the network of doctors, hospitals, etc…
That’s a sigh of relief, considering my son injured his knee in a Manchester Memorial varsity football game a few weeks back against West. One MRI, x-rays, orthopedic doctors fees, two-a-week physical therapy sessions, and an $800 knee brace later, I would have had to sell my car to cover the fees if I had the new HRA plan this year, with a $10,000 bridge amount for families. Who has that kind of cash laying around?
So, the questions will be: If our employer eventually gets their way, how will I afford to cover thousands of dollars in medical co-pays with a new high-deductable HRA insurance plan? Can we afford to take a chance letting him play sports? If we do, and he gets hurt, can we afford to take him to the doctor?
Sports isn’t the only expense for my family to worry about. Since I drive for my job (20,000 - 30,000 miles each year just for work) my chances of getting in to an accident are higher than the average driver, or co-worker. I’ve been very fortunate for the past 20+ years of working for newspapers, and 30 years driving, with no serious accidents. If something serious did happen, how would my family be able to afford the medical bills in the new plan.
I never really gave much thought in the past to sports injury costs. You don’t have to be a high school athlete to rack up the bills. Heck, a youngster can dislocate a shoulder, break an ankle or blow out a knee in Pop Warner football, or a youth soccer game.
-Bob Hammerstrom
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