Health Insurance : Bone of contention, repairer of broken bones

#1Hubby has been getting a bit antsy about our Health Insurance.

It’s not cheap.  And he’d rather be saving that money, paying off the credit card, or – if we’re perfectly honest – putting it towards our next holiday.

#1Hubby is not the Finance Minister of the Parental Parody household.  That’s one of my official portfolios.  Along with Sanitation, Health, Consumables, Shoes (yeah it has its own department in my house), Entertainment, Education, and well just about every other portfolio bar Major Breadwinning (he earns it, I spend it, and so therefore that makes me the Finance Minister, not him).

So when #1Hubby gets the calculator out and starts tooling around, adding up the monthly payments to our Health Insurance fund, it always ends up in an argument.  He sees the monthly payments going out, and forgets the free and subsidised services we enjoy in return, when required.

Firstly, back up off of my turf buddy.  I manage the money.  Don’t need your assistance or input.  Don’t actually want it either, lest you locate my secret wine and extra daycare fund.

Secondly, this is coming from a man who suffered Osteomyelitis as a child, and has an inherited dental condition that will almost definitely affect our children.

Thirdly, we have THREE CHILDREN.  Enough said.

Almost a family outing for us

When #1Hubby starts bemoaning the cost of health insurance, I pull out the invoices from when the kids were born.  Probably because both occasions were a bit like holidays for him – show up, eat, drink, relax, watch some in-house movies…and go home with a souvenir (or two, in the case of the twins).

Hospitals are not cheap.  When we had Miss6 we were kept in hospital for almost 2 weeks, on account of her not feeding and almost losing consciousness (whole other story, that one).  The hospital invoice alone covered our health insurance payments for ten years.  I kid you not.

When the twins arrived, they spent every night in the Special Care Nursery, and a bit of time in the NICU.  After a week in hospital, we had covered our health insurance payments for another ten years.  Again, I kid you not.

In addition to this, I’ve received immediate and top level attention for a few medical concerns of my own, and #1Hubby has received the same whenever he attempts to play sport and damages something.  Usually a finger.  Sometimes a toe.  Thankfully, never anything that would hamper his ability to vacuum (the one item from the Sanitation portfolio that I have palmed off to a back bencher).

#1Hubby after a particularly taxing round of hopscotch with the kids.

So, yes, this is a sponsored post about Health Insurance.  And yes, I get that a lot of people can’t afford it.  But we are a 1.5 income family of 5 and we make it work for us.  I’m not saying that everyone should be able to afford it just because we find a way.  I’m just saying that it has truly been invaluable to us, and in the last 8 years since taking out private health insurance, we have well and truly reaped the benefits and covered our costs for years to come.

Now I’m off to the dentist for a scale and clean.  I love the fuzzy electric brush thing they use (that’s the technical term for it).  They also give me a new toothbrush and some toothpaste every visit, so it saves me having to try and remember when I last replaced my toothbrush.

This post was sponsored by hbf.com.au

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