Plan A: Mission Failure! ...Time For Plan B...

What was Plan A, you ask?

Plan A was to make my way to Fremont Medical Center at 8:20 AM, get my mission physical done, and then walk out of the place like I owned the joint. Not so! I definitely walked in like I owned the joint, but I didn't walk out feeling the same way.

You see--I made my grand entrance and made my way to the front desk. I told them I had an appointment.

"You know--insurance doesn't cover the physicals, right?"
"Yeah, I know that."
"Okay...You sure?"
"Well, how much do you think it's going to be? Around $90, right?"
"Um, mission physicals are a bit pricey. It's going to be at least $300."

And that is where our story begins. The kind lady at the front desk then told me to give my dad a call to make sure that was alright and what not. My first thoughts: "Well, dang, Dad is definitely not going to be alright with this."

I was right. I went outside, called my Dad, and I told him about the conversation that took place above. He wasn't furious like I had expected, but he was just a little confused. "I go in an get an annual physical every year. That's pretty much the same physical you are getting, and insurance covers it," Dad explained to me.

As I am trying to talk to my Dad and figure things out, this Asian woman walks out and says, "Benjamin, you need to come in now." (I could already tell that this lady was going to be some-what annoying.) And so I said bye to my dad, telling him that I would just question the doctors further and what not.

And so I went in with this Asian lady, and she weighed me and measured my height. And then she took me into a room and a little something like this happened:

"So this physical is going to be $300?"-Me
"$300??? No, no. Much more than that! With X-rays and blood work and urinalysis...Those are all very expensive!"-Asian Lady.
"Oh...Well, I talked to my Dad, and he wasn't very happy. He said that insurance covers his annual physicals every year."-Me
"Oh, but this isn't an annual physical."-Asian Lady
("Yeah, but it pretty much is."-Me in my head.)
"Oh, okay..."-Me
"Have you asked your school of any places that can give you a cheaper physical?"-Asian Lady.
"Um, no, we serve missions for our church--not our schools."-Me.
"Yeah--have you asked someone at your school?"-Asian Lady.
("Wow. This lady must not be hearing me..."-Me in my head.)
"No, I haven't asked my school about anything..."-Me

The lady then starts freaking out a little, and she has me call my dad again. I talk to Dad, and he tells me that he is going to call the office to talk to them about it. I told the Asian lady this, and then she gets not-so-happy! She starts freaking out, and is like, "So...What are you going to do?"

"I dunno; I might just get the physical here; we'll have to see what my Dad does/says."-Me
"What? I dunno...Here--go get started on this."-Asian lady as she hands me the urine cup.

"Cool," I thought. "I doubt I am even staying here for the physical, but I still get to pee in a cup. SWEET!" And so I went in the bathroom and started urinating in the cup. But then the unexpected happened--the power went out! At first...I thought the Asian lady was playing a trick on me, and I was a little freaked out.

The power pretty much came right back on, and I went back to the room where the Asian lady and I were talking before. I texted my Dad, and he told me that the power went out while he was on the phone with the office and that I should just leave. And so when the Asian lady came back, I told her my Dad just told me to leave. (She seemed a whole lot happier!) And so I left my cup of urine there in the room, got up, and walked out of the place!

Now...What's Plan B? Well, to make a long story short...My Dad called the insurance company and the doctors office, and he figured everything out for me. Basically...instead of putting me down for a physical (which insurance doesn't cover), my dad made an appointment for me to get a "well-check" (which insurance does cover; AKA my Dad's "annual physical" AKA exactly what my mission papers pretty much are). Ridiculous? Yeah--pretty ridiculous.

And so I am going back in tomorrow at 10 AM for the real deal! (And my Dad is meeting me there to make sure they get it right this time; haha.) Thanks, Dad!!!