HOORAY for socialism!

After 25 years of not going to the doctor, I have gotten myself on the state run MinnesotaCare health program
Having spent most of my adulthood as a broke ass musician in Texas, it has been very hard to get health insurance
You usually need a full time job and even then, the insurance was so expensive that it was intimidating
This pretty much put a fiscal barrier between me and healthcare that turned into an emotional one as well
I was so intimidated by the complexity of the system, the high cost each month and the huge deductables that I just convinced myself that I would have to live without insurance

After all, I was going to die young anyways right?

Credit Laura for building a fire under my ass
She sat on the phone with me while I filled out the applications and didn’t let me give up when it got complicated, making me want to quit
I got approved and couldn’t believe it was only $29 a month
Laura warned me that there might be some deductables but we later found that all basic care required was a $6 co-payment

I just got off the phone with the dentist
They seemed a bit taken aback when they asked me how long it has been since I saw a dentist
The lady sounded like she expected me to come in with a yuk mouth (which is to be expected from someone who hasn’t seen a dentist in 25 years)
I know that there is a ton of damage to my teeth but, at least I feel that I have done some pretty good maintinence by brushing thouroughly and flossing (although less frequent)
Still, my old tounge piercing did some damage and I can feel cavities in the top back teeth

This means that I can get regular checkups with the gen. practicioner and keep one step ahead whatever might kill me and catch it in time
Don’t wanna end up like Zappa and croaking because they didn’t catch the cancer in time
I’m not even scared of the prostate exam
Rather have that than cancer

Lastly, I am going to get to see some type of mental health professional
The last few years have forced some deep reflection into my behavior and what is causing me to sabatoge my own forward momentum
Keep in mind that I do not think I am crazy and need someone to fix me
I liken this situation more like the relationship I have with Roy, my mechanic
I tell him what is happening with my car, he tells me a list of what might be wrong and then we diagnose it
After he assesses the problem, he tells me what tools I will need, and how to fix it
I then proceed to do all the work myself and report back to him if I need help
He also assesses my final result and makes sure I did it right
This is what I need to do to all of the negative behavior patterns I display that keep me from succeeding in life

Of all the reasons for moving back to Minnesota, this one has to be the most valuable for me at this time
I got a little emotional when I got off the phone with the dentist office because that’s when it sank in that I actually have affordable health care
This is a major upward pointing arrow for me right now