The title of this blog post is a question that I was asked on a phone call with a member of my healthcare team. And the answer to it really stumped me.

On the one hand, I am extremely grateful to be employed with a workplace that offers a few choices in terms of a healthcare plan. I know that there are many Americans who are not as lucky as me and either struggle to afford medical care as needed or lack a job and/or health insurance altogether. It feels selfish for me to complain at all about my health insurance because I should just feel lucky to have it, period.

On the other hand, I’d be lying if I said I was 100% satisfied with my health insurance plan. I pay a lot of money out-of-pocket to cover the costs of all my diabetes supplies. I try to help mitigate the expenses by contributing to an FSA account, but it doesn’t do anything to lower the actual costs of my supplies: It just means that I save an amount equal to the taxes I would have paid on the money I set aside.

So when I was asked how I’d rate my health insurance plan using a scale of 1-10, 1 being the worst possible plan and 10 being the best possible plan, I didn’t know which side of the argument I should go with. I know that I certainly don’t have the worst plan – for the most part, I’m able to freely choose things like which insulin pump I want to use and which doctors I want to see – but I definitely don’t have the best plan. To me, the best plan would mean I don’t pay anything for the medications and supplies that I need in order to live, so I absolutely wasn’t going to give it a 10 rating.

Ultimately, I answered the question by giving my health insurance plan a 3. I am dissatisfied with the amount of money that I need to pay and wish that my plan would shoulder more of the costs, but the plan earns a few points for the flexibility it gives me in terms of who I see for doctors and for being consistent in the last couple of years that I have spent on it.

As I said the answer out loud, I couldn’t help but think and dream about the day that I might be able to give a health insurance plan a 10 because it covers all medical costs, is easy to understand, and provides freedom to choose any medications, devices, and doctors that I want. It’s a hope that I have not just for myself, of course, but for all Americans.

I hope that day comes sooner rather than later.