An Open Letter to My Insurance Company:
Dear Company,
This is
Jairus. You may remember me from a claim I filed over two months ago. As you may recall, I injured my leg while I was at work, and although I am not seeking
workman's comp related damages for this claim, I had asked for coverage under the '
Short Term Disability' coverage that I have with your organization.
This is taking some time. In the interests of resolving this situation quickly, allow me explain my situation to you.
As you may know, I earn twelve dollars an hour. After deductions for
EI,
CPP,
taxes,
insurance premiums, and various other costs, I receive an average of twelve hundred dollars take-home pay. I don't know if you are familiar with the costs of living in
Ottawa, but this income rate puts me beneath the
poverty line, meaning I live
month to month, or am '
poor'. Having been without pay for over two months, therefore, is a problem to me. Not having any money would be my first problem, most of my other problems follow directly from that.
I cannot afford to take a cab to my doctor's for continued monitoring of my injury. I cannot afford to purchase a
leg brace which I have been prescribed by said doctor for treatment of my injury. Food supplies are reaching critical levels, and most of the food I own I cannot eat due to a pressing
dental surgery need, for which I have no money. I am receiving threatening notices from my utility companies in a variety of colours which state in no uncertain terms that I must
remit hundreds of dollars. This, although quite threatening indeed, is overshadowed by the fact that I owe my landlord a sum that is an
order of magnitude larger, which if left unresolved will eliminate any need for paying future utilities, as I will not have a house to live in.
In short, this knee injury is ruining my life. If this pattern continues, it is not unreasonable to expect that I will eventually end up homeless, without the ability to receive the medical attention I require to recover fully.
The fear of a chain of events of this nature is what led me to purchase
insurance coverage, some many months ago. In the event that I was unable to work, I thought to myself, an
insurance policy will take care of my immediate financial needs, while allowing me to take care of my injury, so that I am able to return to work.
Listen.
This cannot be allowed to continue. Every day that you stall for more information, hoping that my
claim is
frivolous or
without grounds, hoping that I'll tire of endless
calls,
faxes,
forms, and
touch-tone telephone prompts, my chances of permanent damage rise to approach certainty. Perhaps worse, every day that passes is another day where I lose access to critical resources, and accrue unreasonable and unnecessary debt.
This has to end. Soon.
...
I hear my bones grinding, the sound of dead wood escaping my skin. My reflection isn't who I think I am, eyeballs looking out from grey, boney sockets, and a week's worth of growth when I swear I shaved yesterday.
Seven in the morning, and another night without sleep.