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European visiting the US, so it's going to be pretty mild.
This was early January, 2021, so I needed a negative covid test before I could start the one month of work I had planned (my reason for being there).
Me: "Noted. I see there's a clinic across the street from my hotel, I can have it done tomorrow morning."
Shoreside rep: "Sorry, can't do that here. It has to be this specific clinic with which we have an agreement.
Me: "How about my travel insurance, won't they cover it anywhere?"
Rep: "We don't know that until billing, and then you'd have to expense the copay, which management doesn't like"
That's when I learned wtf "copay" is. I had loads to do the day after, but I spent most of the day in a car, back and forth, so that I could visit this one specific clinic for a test that took five minutes.
And if Houston city planners weren't bribed by Big Concrete and Big Car Dealership, I'm sure the ride would have been significantly shorter as well. As a sidenote, I find it pervertedly fascinating that Houston is a city that somehow manages to be located surprisingly far from Houston itself.
Ah. COVID.
When the vaccine came out it was allocated in stages. Healthcare providers and the elderly were prioritized. As they should be. When it was finally available to the general public, the state released a website that helped you find the nearest pharmacy with doses. And it was guaranteed to be free.
I found one local pharmacy in a nearby village and we got our dose. They didn't ask for a copay, but did write down our insurance info. Two weeks later, we got a bill from United Health because we unknowingly used an out of network pharmacy for our 'free' shots.
Minor thing, but it's just an example of our garbage. I've never had a good experience with healthcare in the US. OK - scratch that. The time I needed stitches for a bad cut, the receptionist who was billing me whispered that "If you're any kind of 'medical professional,' you can remove them yourself and avoid another visit." Shit - I own stuff for sewing. That was good, although slightly painful advice.
Canada was wild, though. I visited a walk-in clinic for an abscess on my leg. No bill. I also visited the ER with chest pain. In both cases I felt like a criminal for leaving without giving them my credit card info.
Staged rollout here as well (I think that was pretty universal). Due to traveling a lot, I asked the people at my local Village clinic (yeah, I live in the middle of nowhere), if it was possible for them to make a note that if they happened to have any leftovers doses in the group before me (such as if someone didn't want theirs for whatever reason), if I could have it.
I made it clear that I didn't want to jump the queue ahead of anyone before me, as I'm reasonably healthy, but I could really use being at least first in my group.
And I'm glad I did, because they obliged, and a month later I found myself back in the US, and this time I caught covid. I'm sure the vaccines was what caused it to be extremely mild, bordering asymptomatic.
Come to think of it, I've caught covid twice, both times in the US.