13/11/2023
"BATA PA AKO, HINDI KO KAILANGAN NG INSURANCE."
The 29 year-old me.
Refused two insurance agents back then, sabi ko bata pa ako, at malakas naman ako. I was traveling the world whenever I wanted to. May savings din ako, at may checking account at credit cards pa nga ako na somehow mataas na ang limit. And of course, may HMO na ako from my company. I told the advisors, I'm all good. Why would I need insurance? No na muna.
THEN, in the blink of an eye, I got critically ill (blood issue). It all happened so fast. I thought, "Lord, anong nangyayari? Ang lakas-lakas ko lang?" I was at the ICU for a full week, plus I had to stay in a private room for another week of confinement.
My hospital bill reached a whopping 6 digits, my HMO, much to my horror, would NOT SHOULDER the expenses, kasi hindi daw kasama sa coverage ng HMO yung sakit ko!!
My credit cards got maxed out, my savings was down to zero, and my precious brand new car got repossessed. Yung ihuhulog ko sa kotse, eh 'di ibibili ko na lang ng gamot. Speaking of which, I needed money for my maintenance for the next several months that would cost me 60k monthly!
IMAGINE THE FINANCIAL CRISIS THAT FOLLOWED. From someone who had a good amount of money, in one snap of a finger, it was all taken away from me. It got to a point where I was applying for loans, just to pay out my other existing loans. I was also asking help from government agencies, including our LGU and even sa PCSO pumila ang mother ko.
Had I said yes to either agents who approached me? Eh 'di meron sana akong at least 1 MILLION na standby fund for my illness. Nabayaran ko na, may sobra pa for my full recovery, and most of all for my peace of mind. But it was too late.
IF YOU ARE IN YOUR 20s and you think you don't need insurance kasi "BATA PA AKO AT MALAKAS NAMAN AKO", THINK AGAIN. We all have no idea what curveballs life would throw at us. Better be prepared.
