Saturday, November 22, 2008

What Old People Do

I don't think of myself as one of the old people group, hell I'm only 61. To me the old guys are the ones that sit around the food court at the mall and talk about what the good ole days were like or all of their aches and pains. Or maybe its those that never leave their Senior Citizens apartment complex unless it involves a trip to the Doctor (or by ambulance to their final destination).

But yesterday, during a conversation with one of the guys I share a golf cart with I found myself talking like an old guy. He told me that he was going to have an endoscopy. The doctors call it a minimally invasive medical procedure. If you have ever had one you either an old guy or someone with a problem and you would know that it goes a little beyond minimal.

In any event, I found myself giving my golfing buddy advice. Not medical advice but economic advice since we both have the same health plan. You see he has not yet met his deductible this year since he is relatively healthy. After spending almost $5K in medical insurance premiums it takes another $2,750 each year to meed the individual deductible under our plan.

So, as the end of the year is near I told him the ought to think about having the procedure right after the first of the year. That way he might come close to meeting his deductible next year and would then limit his out of pocket expense if God forbid something else happened (like at trip to the emergency room after trying to slice your thumb off, which he did this year. He was trying to save the Koi in his pond after he lost power but that is another story.)

The minute my advice came out of my mouth I told him now I'm talking like one of the old farts in the Villages in Florida. Then I thought of the elderly lady at the pharmacy the other day that asked me if that was an earring in my ear. After her daughter said, "oh mom, what's wrong with you" the woman said well maybe he is just young at heart.

Evidently she thought I looked old that day.

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