D. Ann Williams

Forewarning: don’t go barefoot in your kitchen because I was cooking and the knife fell off the counter and it was just a tiny cut. I went in [to my doctor] and they told me I cut a tendon and needed surgery.

I knew my doctor and surgery center were going to be in-network. And thankfully, I was talking to my parents and they suggested I ask about the anesthesiologist.

I was able to get the name of the anesthesiology group, but they can’t tell you, yes, it is going to be covered. They need to know who is actually doing the service. So, I got half the information and then just had to hope my bill isn’t bad.

I think one of the things people can do to manage their health care is take a medical terminology class. It is not going to help 100% but it will give you more power when you’re trying to speak to your doctor or your health insurance company or the hospital. It’s not a perfect system, but at least it will help.