Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Would You Rather

A) Take your ear-infected kid to a brand new urgent care a mile and a half from your house, where the seats and floors are new and clean, no one is waiting, and you for sure would be seen right away. The catch is that this new place doesn't yet accept your insurance, and you'd have to pay cash up front which would be about 100 bucks.

B) Take your ear-infected kid to the urgent care you normally go to (that you know takes your insurance)that is 15 minutes away, old, with unidentified gunk on the seats and floors, and full of sick people waiting to be seen. Then leave 3 hours later with a diagnosis and prescription that took no longer than 45 seconds to get.

Well, we chose B. We weren't really feeling especially rich and couldn't justify spending 100 dollars, so we went to the other place. But after being there forever and exposing ourselves and Easton (who really isn't sick other than the ear infection) to who knows what, and waiting for so long, we were kicking ourselves for not going to the newer, cleaner, faster place. A simple time-cost analysis revealed to us that the 100 bucks would have been TOTALLY worth it. At the new place we probably would have been able to watch whatever we wanted on tv while we waited...instead we were forced to watch Dogs 101 and I now know more than I ever wanted to about dogs.

16 comments:

Alifinale said...

Oh man! E has an ear infection? Sad days. Now it is just a matter of time to find out what virus or otherwise he caught at the stinky urgent care. Man, that is sucks.

Lizzy said...

I probably would have gone to the gross urgent care too. I'm just too cheap. Hope Easton feels better!

Kara said...

I didn't know Easton had an ear infection!! When did this happen? Sorry you chose "B" and I hope he didn't catch something else.

Paul & Ashley Justensen Family said...

I really don't like going to yucky places and exposing children to who knows what! I hope Easton gets better soon.

Teresa, mom, Deitz, Aunt Dee Dee said...

Sorry to hear that Easton has an ear infection. Even worse is that he had to go to the Dr. I hate Dr.'s. Not because they themselves are bad, but because they always cost more money than you expected to pay and I am with Lizzy, I'm just too cheap when it comes to spending money. Hope he gets feeling better soon. Look what a little snow can do to a kid. Best to stay in Vegas where it is warm, unless Salt Lake is on your places to visit list. :-)

Hope you all are doing good. Glad to see you are getting back to normal blogging. I missed your posts over Christmas.

Aimeeable said...

I would end up doing B. We received a full year of free health insurance through the state when Tygh first started working. Let me tell ya, you get what you pay for. Tygh hated which doctors we had to go to and the way the medical staff treated you when they knew what insurance we had. Now we pay $800 a month and the super cheap part of me would go back to being a second class citizen in a heart beat if it was free again.

Danielle said...

Yikes...sorry about that. I have to say thought, the way you described plan A, sounded a little freaky. Almost like, "We're watching you!!" type of feeling. I never like that feeling. I hope Easton is feeling better though.

WASHINGTON SOUTHWORTHS said...

Yeah, I would've gone with plan B, too... and been praying that the first place gets their act together soon so that my insurance would be accepted for whenever the next visit would have to be! Hope Easton is feeling better soon.

Margaret said...

Hindsight blows chunks!

Sorry about that.

destiny said...

I HATE QuickCare!! It is not even close to being quick! They should call it Wait Forever Care. But then if it was called that no one would go there. I bet then it would be quick.

Carol and Bruce said...

That is one reason you kids never went to the Dr. I always felt you would get something worse there but ear ache was one thing I would go in for, they are too painful to dismiss.

How about just going to the Dr. office, was that an option? Poor boy, I hope he is feeling better and your other boy too. Don't you get sick now.

Ilene said...

You always choose the crappier option because who wants to read about a visit to a nice, clean doctor's office?

Really, life choices are all about what will provide the best blog material.

Jill said...

Bummer choices. $100? Nah, I couldn't do it either. Ear infections are such a pain. Hope it clears up soon.

Bringhursts said...

Uhhh, who do I write the check to? That 100 dollars would be the best money I spent if I could avoid option B.

Sorry for the drama; hope Easton is doing better!

Unknown said...

i would have paid the hundred bucks to get it over with. especially if i had both boys.
hope E gets better!

Jenni said...

oh man. my poor easton cannot catch a break!! That sounds like a rough experience!! I would have done the same thing. dang it! I hope he's feeling better. Let's Webcam today!!! love you!