This is why I skip the doctor's office

The last time I rolled an ankle and hit the ground, I was without insurance or a job. A vinegar plaster, an Ace bandage, and some rest took care of it. I almost wish I had done the same thing this time around. It definitely would have cost me less.

Here's the situation: I found out today that workman's comp is only going to pay for the initial visit to the urgent care center. My insurance doesn't start until 01 Jan so I can't go see an orthopaedic specialist for follow-up. Even if I wait until after the 1st, my insurance won't pay for it because it is a pre-existing condition. Unfortunately, the urgent care doctor told my employer that I wasn't cleared for work until I had a follow-up visit. Despite my pleading, the HR person would not let me come back to work without getting another note clearing me. So I had to pay $130 for the urgent care doctor to write me a note. That's one expensive piece of paper.

I wish that I had been a bit more insistent with my supervisor on Wednesday and gone home instead of letting them talk me into going to urgent care. What the urgent care doctor told me to do isn't any different than what I was going to do on my own, except they gave me a fancy walking boot to take the place of the compression bandage. Now I've lost four days of pay (possibly more if I can't get HR to fix my timesheet) and money that we were going to put toward last-minute gifts for the kids.