Guaranteed Healthcare

Recently I was offered my dream job by a friend who runs a small company. The salary is slightly less than my current position but my current employer also deducts $360 a month from my paycheck to subsidize their "employer provided" health plan, since they will only pay 10% of my wife's premium.

The NEW job offer includes total coverage for my family and I at no out-of-pocket cost to me, but here's the rub: My wife regularly takes an anti-convulsant called Keppra, for which there is currently no generic. The offered job's group insurance policy covers only generic medications. Brand names are NOT covered. To buy Keppra over the counter would cost us $355 a month, or nearly the same figure my current employer is socking me for Healthnet insurance.

I tried to find out the 'negotiated fee' for uncovered medications from my prospective NEW employer's insurance company but the Blue Cross representative would not give me this information because I'm "not a subscriber". My current job pays better, and as bad as their insurance is, we can get a month's supply of Keppra for a co-pay of $30.

Solely for this reason, I had to turn down my friend's offer and stay at a job I am unhappy in. I'm sure there are much worse stories but it's unfortunate that health care (or lack thereof) has this much of a choke-hold on what should be a personal decision affecting one's security, happiness and well-being.