Because I am beyond broke, pregnant, and don't currently have any other offerings on the table, I was able to qualify for the Oregon Health Plan. So, since February all of my doctor's appointments, ultrasounds, etc. have been totally covered. As I started my new job in February, I'll be eligible to start getting insurance through them in May. Which very well may leave me fending for myself by paying for insurance and a deductible I can't afford. I'm hoping I'll still qualify for some sort of help in the matter...
Since I know I won't probably have it for very long, I went to the dentist (it'd been 5 years) and eye doctor (it had been 4 years) along with my normal baby check up. The dentists has always been a calming place for me, though I'm sure that makes me some kind of freak, and it was nice to get everything all tidied up. Teeth looked great, no cavities - which was a surprise given my oral hygiene over the last 3 or so years has consisted of quickly brushing my teeth in the morning before work and nothing else. I do, however, show signs of pregnancy gingivitis, so Listerine was recommended. Hopefully that clears up and I'm able to keep everything shiny. I also got floss threader things to clean out my permanent retainer since it's a pain in the ass. Yay!
At the eye doctor's, I learned that my prescription just needed slight adjusting. Although, I'm not sure how slight since I feel my vision is far worse and I'm not being able to see anything even with my glasses...so, we'll see. However, I also learned that OHP while great for doctor's appointments and pretty good for dentist appointments, is not so great for glasses. The cover the exam, which is amazing - but then only the cheapest of cheap products. Which, essentially boils down to them covering $75 and you covering the rest. Luckily John sold his bike and we had a small amount of extra cash left over from that after paying bills.
At the prenatal check up I learned that everything is right in the middle of where it should be. So even though apparently I look way bigger than 21 weeks according to family...and the lady at the DMV... I'm actually totally average. That, and seeing some other pregnant ladies that look just as/more pregnant than me that are less along helped my confidence a bit. Though, I still feel giant! Oliver is growing perfectly proportionally and we got more negative results back from genetic screening (a good thing). It was last appointment with Dr. Brown's office since she's decided that in June she's going to stop delivering babies. So I've got to make an appointment with another office in the area. If they don't work out, I may end up delivering at St. Vincent's instead of Tuality. Which wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing ever, but - I don't know, for some reason Tuality feels more safe and less corporate, even though they're way more into making money than St. Vincent's is. Also, I'm a little worried about the insurance change over in May. I have no idea who the insurance provider is, and what doctor's they'll support... which could change something again and I might only get one appointment at my new place before I have to switch. I hope it's not Kieser or something which doesn't give me much choice in the matter.
I feel much better though, that I've taken care of myself, and although I had to pay quite a bit for the glasses/lenses - I've still saved five times as much over the last few months by having OHP in the first place.
So, yay insurance! Yay being healthy! Looking forward to having a perfect baby boy here in (OMG!) four months.
