Ears-a-ringing: How the medical industry keeps me up at night

An ear infection can rapidly become a dangerous acute condition. The last time I had one I realized I needed to see a doctor on Sunday. By the time I saw one on Tuesday (first available appointment) I couldn't walk. I have fairly good insurance, all things considered.

The doc prescribed ear antibiotic ear drops and painkillers, scolded me for not coming to see him sooner, and blessedly gave me 2 refills on the antibiotic prescription "just in case". The prescribed course was only on bottle.

The bill to insurance was almost $500. The antibiotic was $10, not covered, just $10. My takeaway: they risked my hearing (and possibly worse) to gatekeep a harmless, topical $10 drug with the intent of over-billing an insurance company.

What did I do? Oh yes, I filled both of those refills and stockpiled them. Next time I'm in agony at 12:30am with an appointment 2 days away, wondering if I should risk my family finances with a trip to an out-of-network ER, I'm pulling out those drops and giving it a try.

Is that dangerous? Hell yes. I wouldn't have dreamed of it even a few years ago. Damned if it doesn't seem like an acceptable risk nowadays.